West Point Magazine Fall 2016

VETERAN OWNED VETERAN FOCUSED

Becoming a part of the APi Group team is like being welcomed into a family. We are committed to developing and inspiring our people and focused on driving exceptional business results. I am proud and honored to be a part of an organization that recognizes, challenges and rewards talented individuals and veterans.

COLLEEN MOSELLE

U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Class of 2002 and APi Group employee

APi Group Owner and West Point Distinguished Graduate, Lee R. Anderson, Sr., meets with veteran employees.

The mission of West Point magazine is to tell the West Point story and strengthen the grip of the Long Gray Line.

PUBLISHER

West Point Association of Graduates

Todd A. Browne ’85, President & CEO

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Elizabeth A. Barrett editor@wpaog.org

EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP

Richard Huh ’94 Kim McDermott ’87

Jim Johnston ’73 Samantha Soper

ADVERTISING

Jess Scheuler 845.446.1577 | ads@wpaog.org

ADDRESS UPDATES

Tammy Talmadge

West Point Association of Graduates 698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996-1607 845.446.1642 | address@wpaog.org

MEMORIAL ARTICLE MANAGER

Marilee Meyer 845.446.1545 | memorials@wpaog.org

CONTENT

Anthony DiNoto Kim McDermott ’87

Keith Hamel

DESIGN

Marguerite Smith

Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policy, or attitude of the U.S. Army, United States Military Academy, West Point Association of Graduates, its officers, or the editorial staff. The appearance of advertisements in this publication does not necessarily constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Army, United States Military Academy, West Point Association of Graduates, its officers, or the editorial staff for the products or services advertised.

POSTMASTER

WestPointis published quarterly in Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall by the West Point Association of Graduates, 698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996-1607

WestPointis printed by Dartmouth Printing Company.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Subscriptions may be ordered for $35 (domestic mail) online at WestPointAOG.org; by calling 800.BE.A.GRAD; or by sending a check to WPAOG, WestPointmagazine, 698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996-1607. (International shipping incurs additional fees: please inquire.)

ON THE COVER

The legacy of West Pointers in space: Lt. Col. Edward H. White II ’52 USAF performs the first American spacewalk on June 3, 1965. Photo: NASA

Dear Fellow Graduates:

This summer, the 1,275 members of the Class of 2020, along with their families, joined the West Point team. I know we all look forward to helping our alma mater’s newest class have the best possible experience at West Point. In particular, I would like to thank the Class of ’70 for generously supporting 2020 as part of WPAOG’s 50-Year Affiliation Program. By the way, WPAOG is now proud to send copies of West Point magazine to parents of all cadets.

Thank you, as well, to the more than 250 participants who attended our recent WPAOG Alumni Leaders Conference, and to the members of the Class of ’67, whose generous endowment underwrites our annual conference. Each year during our August summit, USMA Class leaders and West Point Society leaders, as well as USMA Parents Club representatives and Military Academy Liaison Officers, travel to West Point from around the world to receive USMA and WPAOG updates, share best practices, and network with each other. This year, many participants also attended the A-Day Parade, when the Class of 2020 was formally accepted into the Corps of Cadets.

Our cadets continue to receive an exceptional educational and extracurricular experience as a result of your gifts in support of the Margin of Excellence. In this regard, I would like you to know that WPAOG has received top ratings from both CharityNavigator and GuideStar. Your generosity in giving to the Margin of Excellence makes a difference every day in the lives of cadets, as they prepare for the leadership challenges they will face in a complex and changing world.

Gifts from the Long Gray Line and other friends of the U.S. Military Academy are also continuing to transform the facilities landscape at West Point. In the last 15 years, WPAOG has managed and delivered more than 20 construction projects. With eight projects currently in progress, the WPAOG construction team is busier than ever. For example, in this issue, you will read about the recent groundbreaking ceremonies for the Malek Soccer Stadium and for the Malek West Point Visitors Center. Additionally, the Foley Enners Nathe Lacrosse Center, another WPAOG project, will be dedicated this fall.

As we all know, autumn at West Point is a special time of year. Almost daily, our Army West Point teams are competing on playing fields surrounded by the magnificent fall foliage. Also this season, two of our Association’s prestigious awards are presented. On September 22, Major Matthew Chaney ’01 received WPAOG’s Nininger Award for Valor at Arms (see p. 20), and, by the time you read this issue, former FBI Director Robert Mueller will have received the 2016 Thayer Award.

In closing my first letter to the Long Gray Line, I would like you to know it is a privilege and honor to be your president and CEO. Your WPAOG staff and I look forward to welcoming each Reunion Class this fall and to seeing many of you at football tailgates and other activities away from West Point. Go Army!

Serving West Point and the Long Gray Line, Todd

Todd A. Browne ’85

President & CEO West Point Association of

Graduates

West Point and America’s Space Program; USMA Behind the Scenes

6 COVER STORY | On the High Ground: West Point and America’s Space Program

From Cold War era missions to working in today’s international teams aboard the ISS, USMA graduate astronauts’ training has prepared them to succeed.

18 Meet the Dean: A Conversation with BG Cindy Jebb ’82

20 Nininger Award 2016

22 Same Mission, Sharpened Focus : Todd A. Browne ’85, WPAOG’s New President and CEO, Outlines His Vision

24 The West Point Museum: The Backstory of Presenting and Preserving America’s Military Heritage

32 Behind the Scenes of West Point’s Biggest Event: Graduation

36 How West Point Turns Candidates into New Cadets Behind the scenes at R-Day.

40 Winning the Cyber War

DEPARTMENTS

2 From the President & CEO

4 From the Superintendent

16 By the Numbers

30 Poster: Trophy Point Concert

50 RD=FC Cadet Column

52 Mailbox

54 Gripping Hands

56 WPAOG News

57 Start the Days!

58 Be Thou at Peace

60 Past in Review

Behind the scenes at CDX, the National Security Agency’s Cyber Defense Exercise.

44 USMA 2020 Joins the Corps

46 Army West Point Women’s Lacrosse: Building a Winning Program on the Warrior Ethos

55 Mule Basic Training: Welcoming Paladin as Army’s Newest Mascot

of “

Rocket” by cadets and astronauts Williams ’80 and Kopra ’85: facebook.com/WestPointAOG/

Frederic V. Malek West Point Visitors Center Groundbreaking: https://vimeo.com/183851338

Send

Welcome Paladin, West Point’s newest mule mascot: facebook.com/WestPointAOG/ posts/10154444029609871

Photos: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG; John Pellino/WP DPTMS

I appreciate all of you for supporting and participating in the many events that took place in recent weeks, from March Back with the Class of 2020 to the Class of 2017’s Ring Weekend. As always, it was great to see so many of you back here at your alma mater.

As you know, we are saddened by the recent losses of three of our cadets, Cadet Mitchell Winey ʼ18, Cadet Thomas Surdyke ʼ19 and Cadet Brandon Jackson ʼ19, as well as a recent graduate, Second Lieutenant Michael Parros ʼ16. These four incredible young men were great teammates and epitomized the values of Duty, Honor, Country in all that they did. They will be truly missed, and I would ask that you continue to keep their families and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

At West Point, we strive daily to be the world’s premiere leader development institution, charged with developing the leaders of character prepared to fight and win our nation’s wars.

Being the best leader development institution means we continually strive for excellence in all areas, from our academic, athletics, military and character development programs to our infrastructure and business practices.

You see this excellence taking place daily in our classrooms, on the athletic fields, and elsewhere all throughout West Point. It’s evident in the college rankings by Forbes, Princeton Review, and others that, for a number of years in a row, list West Point as one of the top academic institutions in the nation. It’s evident in our world-class faculty, an incredibly talented group of teachers, scholars, and researchers, all leaders in their field with the experience, expertise, and the intellectual capital that not only help the Army and our nation solve some of its most challenging problems, but also aid our mission of developing leaders of character with the creative and critical thinking skills to thrive in any operational environment. It’s evident in our athletic and academic teams and clubs that have earned national and conference championships, such as women’s basketball, men’s tennis, the cyber team, or the obstacle course team, which recently won the ESPN BattleFrog College Championship competition for the second consecutive year.

More importantly, it’s evident in the thousands of graduates who are leading America’s sons and daughters around the globe, as well as those who are serving at all levels of government, are

leaders in science and industry, and even (as you’ll read in this issue) have explored the stars.

But for all of the excellence you see on a daily basis, there are a thousand examples of excellence that you don’t see: the work taking place behind the scenes that makes this institution, this installation and every major event here, from R-Day to graduation, run smoothly. Whether it’s keeping our facilities and infrastructure in top shape, ensuring our post and all who live and work here are safe and secure, feeding and equipping the Corps of Cadets, or planning and coordinating the numerous details that go into executing the hundreds of events that take place here, the Soldiers, Army Civilian employees, and contractors that make up the West Point team are working diligently behind the scenes, committed to making the best leader development institution even better.

It is this commitment to excellence and commitment to being the world’s premiere leader development institution that is at the core of “Who We Are,” an institutional focus on our continual quest for excellence and the values that define us as members of the West Point team. That quest for excellence permeates throughout this installation and through all who work here, from the staff and faculty to the many support personnel working behind the scenes that keep this installation running smoothly. All of them are proud of who we are and what we do here. All of them are committed to our mission of developing leaders of character.

As you enjoy this issue of the magazine, I know you’ll gain a better appreciation for all of the excellence taking place behind the curtain to make your alma mater run smoothly and prepare its graduates for service as leaders in our Army.

Each of you, the members of the Long Gray Line, play an important part in that behind the scenes work. At the recent West Point Association of Graduates Alumni Leaders Conference, I emphasized the critical role our alumni play in our mission. Your involvement—whether through financial support, through volunteering with WPAOG or your local West Point Society, sharing the West Point story in your communities, helping our Admissions team identify the best candidates, or mentoring our cadets—is key to the leader development process.

Thank you for all you do in supporting the Corps of Cadets and West Point, and for being vital partners in our continual pursuit of excellence and remaining the world’s premiere leader development institution.

Beat Navy!

Robert L. Caslen Jr. ’75 Lieutenant General, U.S. Army 59th Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy

We’re off to a great start to the new academic year, following a busy summer of training that took place both here and around the globe.

Space Program

By Keith J. Hamel, WPAOG staff

Photos: courtesy of NASA

Major Thomas Nelson ’04, course director for MA104, and his team had spent more than a year coordinating a video teleconference (VTC) with Colonel Jeff Williams ’80, Retired, and Colonel Tim Kopra ’85, Retired, astronauts who were serving as Flight Engineer and Commander, respectively, for Expedition 47 on the International Space Station (ISS).

While this might have been a math lesson titled “Connecting Space Travel to Math,” Williams and Kopra floated a microphone back and forth between themselves to answer questions on a wide range of topics, everything from how they do physical fitness training in space (they work out two-and-a-half hours a day on special equipment) to how they do laundry (they don’t: they bring enough clothes to last for the six-month mission). The 30-minute VTC also highlighted the personalities of the graduates. When Williams was asked if he would volunteer for a mission to Mars if it meant a oneway trip, he said, “I love an adventure, but not if it means ‘oneway!’” And, right before closing the VTC, the duo performed a zero-gravity version of the USMA “Rocket” cheer together with those assembled from the Class of 2019.

Given the high-spirited nature of the VTC, the cadets may have missed its most remarkable point, which came in Williams’ opening remarks: “We really got our beginning, doing what we are doing now, orbiting the earth 16 times a day at 17,500 mph, from the opportunity to attend the institution you are now honored to be part of,” he said. In other words, the United States Military Academy at West Point is a perfect start for a future in space. This lesson might be a surprise to the Long Gray Line and the general public, too. However, with Kopra, Williams, and Colonel Shane Kimbrough ’89, Retired, all having commanded or being scheduled to command the ISS during 2016, and with two West Point graduates, Lieutenant Colonel Drew Morgan ’98 and Major Anne McClain ’02, now serving at Johnson Space Center as part of the eight astronauts selected for NASA’s most recent class, the legacy of West Point grads in space is primed to take a giant leap forward.

The impact of West Point graduates on the “final frontier” is not unlike the one they made in the 19th century on the nation’s western frontier, aiding the United States’ national interests as well as exploring the boundaries of the unknown. In some respects, it

was for similar reasons that President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Class of 1915, established NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in July 1958. Ten months earlier, on October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union had launched Sputnik I into low Earth orbit, signaling the start of the space race during the Cold War.

Colonel Frank Borman ’50, Retired, who had joined the U.S. Air Force upon graduation and served as a fighter pilot with the 44th Fighter Bomber Squadron, was teaching thermodynamics and fluid mechanics at West Point when Sputnik was launched. “I had never even thought about rockets or space before,” Borman said in a 1999 interview for the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project, “and when they launched Sputnik, it was a real shock to me because it appeared that the Russians had gotten a big leg up on us.” In 1962, Borman, along with fellow West Point graduate Lieutenant Colonel Ed White ’52, were selected as part of NASA’s Astronaut Group 2 upon the announcement of the Gemini and Apollo programs to follow the original Mercury 7 astronauts. “My reason for joining NASA was to participate in Apollo’s lunar program and hopefully beat the Russians to the Moon,” Borman said. “I took the Cold War very seriously, and I wanted to meet President Kennedy’s goal and prove that we were not second-rate to a Communist country.”

Photo: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

On May 2, 2016, cadets enrolled in MA104: Calculus and MA255: Math Modeling (or “Introduction to Differential Equations”) packed Robinson Auditorium for a lecture that was literally out of this world, with guest speakers who were orbiting 250 miles overhead in space.

Previous page large photo: Buzz Aldrin ’51 walks on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Inset left: The Apollo 11 crew included two USMA grads (L to R): Neil Armstrong, Commander; Michael Collins ’52, Command Module Pilot; Buzz Aldrin ’51, Lunar Module Pilot. Inset Right: International Space Station Expedition 47 Crew included two USMA grads: (L to R) Oleg Skripochka, Jeff Williams ’80, Alexey Ovchinin, Tim Peake, Tim Kopra ’85 and Yuri Malenchenko.

Cadets in Robinson Auditorium at West Point speak live via video teleconference with Jeff Williams ’80 and Tim Kopra ’85 orbiting aboard ISS in May 2016.

While piloting Gemini IV (launched June 3, 1965), White was the first American to perform a spacewalk, spending 21 weightless minutes in the vacuum of space (besting the Russians’ first attempt by nine minutes). When told to end his spacewalk and reenter Gemini, White said, “This is the saddest moment of my life.” It was a sad moment for the rest of the United States when, less than two years later, White and two other astronauts died in a fire during a launch test for Apollo 1 on January 27, 1967, the first astronauts to die during a NASA mission.

Borman, who once told an interviewer that he was “a close friend” of White, was assigned to the group that dismantled the Apollo 1 spacecraft as part of the accident investigation. Despite the long, drawn-out examination into the death of his friend, Borman said that he “never for one instant” thought that the United States could not recover from this setback. Proving this assessment, Borman launched on Apollo 8 on December 21, 1968 and commanded its mission to orbit the Moon, making him and his crew the first humans to travel beyond low Earth orbit and see the far side of the Moon. Interestingly, it was another West Point graduate, Major General Michael Collins ’52, Retired, who later became the Command Module Pilot on the Apollo 11 lunar mission, who gave the order to Borman and his crew to first head for the Moon when he radioed, “Apollo 8, you are GO for TLI” (the trans-lunar

USMA ASTRONAUT MISSION KEY:

injection burn needed to leave Earth’s orbit for the Moon’s). Apollo 8 orbited the Moon 10 times for approximately 20 hours, taking roughly 700 photographs of potential Moon landing sites for a future Apollo mission. On the ninth orbit, Borman was narrating the mission for a television audience and described the Moon as “a vast, lonely, forbidding expanse of nothing.” Apollo 8 returned to Earth on December 27, and the crew was named Time magazine’s “Men of the Year” for 1968.

The successful Apollo 8 mission led the way for Apollo 11 and the much-lauded Moon landing on July 21, 1969. Colonel Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin ’51, Retired, flew on Apollo 11, along with Collins, and was the second human to walk on the Moon. “For me,” Borman said, “when Apollo 11 was over, the mission was over, we beat the Russians.” Of course, NASA continued flying Apollo missions to the Moon, including Apollo 15, for which Colonel David Scott ’54, Retired, served as Commander and became the seventh person to walk on the Moon, and the first to drive a lunar rover on its surface (Colonel Alfred Worden ’55, Retired, was the Command Module Pilot for this mission), but the desire to make space exploration a Cold War battle began to thaw after Apollo 11. Borman himself aided in this development when he was sent to Russia for 10 days by President Nixon to negotiate a process that led to the Apollo-Soyuz Project in July 1975, when an Apollo

STS: Space Shuttle Missions. Between the first launch on April 12, 1981 and the final landing on July 21, 2011, NASA's space shuttle fleet Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour flew 135 missions and helped construct the International Space Station.

Expedition: International Space Station Missions.

EVA: Extravehicular Activity, including spacewalks and time on the lunar surface.

ACTIVE ASTRONAUTS (USMA Graduates)

STS-126 2008; Expedition 49/50 2016-17, launching Fall 2016

2 EVAs with total time of 12 hours

52 minutes as of 9/30/16

Total time in space: 15 days 20 hours 30 minutes as of 9/30/16

18

Expedition 20: STS-127, STS-128 2009; Expedition 46/47 2015-16

3 EVAs with total time of 13 hours 31 minutes

Total time in space: 244 days

Photos: courtesy of NASA

COL (R) R. Shane Kimbrough ’89 Group 19 (2004)

COL (R) Timothy L. Kopra ’85 Group

(2000)

MAJ Anne C. McClain ’02 Group 21 (2013)

LTC Andrew R. Morgan ’98, MD Group 21 (2013)

Command/Service Module docked with a Soviet Soyuz 7K-TM in orbit as a sign of peace between the superpowers. It is ironic that Borman, who likened the danger of his own mission to the danger some of his classmates were facing at the time flying bombing missions to Hanoi, in Communist-controlled North Vietnam, helped initiate the program that eventually led to the cooperation between the United States and Russia seen today on the International Space Station.

Following the success of the Apollo Program, NASA turned its attention in the early 1970s to developing a reusable space transportation system. The result was what is commonly known as the “Space Shuttle.” Eleven West Point graduates, from Colonel Donald H. Peterson ’55, Retired (on STS-6 in 1983), to Kimbrough (on STS-126 in 2008), flew Space Shuttle missions, all as mission specialists. Why mission specialists? Colonel Pat Forrester ’79, Retired, who flew on three Shuttle missions from 2001 to 2009, reasons that West Point graduates, prepared as they are for the Army profession, “are operational people who work well in difficult environments performing very physical tasks.” The “difficult environment” he references is the vacuum of space. “There is no other environment that is more inhospitable, empty, void, and less forgiving of mistakes,” says Colonel Doug Wheelock ’83, Retired, who has conducted six spacewalks, totaling 43 hours and 30 minutes.

After looking over the history of Shuttle missions, Forrester has noticed that a great proportion of spacewalkers have West Point backgrounds. Spacewalks, or EVAs (extravehicular activities) in NASA parlance, are extremely demanding events. “Your life is in peril during an EVA,” says Kopra, “so they require meticulous planning and the implementation of years of training.” Even with this training, it is hard to prepare for the physical realities of the

ACTIVE ASTRONAUTS (USMA Graduates)

MANAGEMENT ASTRONAUTS (USMA

Group 17 (1998)

STS-120 2007; Expedition 24/25 2010

6 EVAs with total time of 43 hours

30 minutes

Total time in space: 178 days 9 hours

30 minutes

Group 16 (1996)

STS-101 2000; Expedition 13 2006; Expedition 21/22 2009; Expedition 47/48 2015-16

5 EVAs with total time of 31 hours

55 minutes

Total time in space: 534 days. As of Aug 24, 2016, holds U.S. record for most days in space.

Group 16 (1996)

STS-105 2001; STS-117 2007; STS-128 2009

4 EVAs with total time of 25 hours

30 minutes

Total time in space: 39 days 14 hours

18 minutes

Group 13 (1990)

STS-58 1993; STS-74 1995; STS-92 2000; Expedition 12 2005

4 EVAs with total time of 24 hours

21 minutes

Total time in space: 224 days 22 hours

19 minutes

2011 Distinguished Graduate Award

COL (R) Douglas H. Wheelock ’83

COL (R) Jeffrey N. Williams ’80

COL (R) Patrick G. Forrester ’79

COL (R) William S. McArthur, Jr. ’73

Graduates)

Gemini 7: At right, prime crew members Frank Borman ’50 (standing) and James Lovell (USNA ’52); at left, backup crew members White ’52, (standing) and Collins ’52.

typical six-hour EVA: temperature fluctuations of nearly 500 degrees thanks to a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes, pressure in one’s suit that is 4.2 PSI above the vacuum of space, a physical exertion that is a metabolic equivalent to a marathon-and-ahalf, and the seemingly million-foot drop upon stepping out of the airlock.

Yet despite the risks and realities of an EVA, there is one huge reward: “The view is incredible,” says Kopra. Wheelock poetically states, “The cares of the world and human struggles seem to fade away and give way to the awe and pure majesty of seeing the

Earth—a living, breathing ball of life raging with light, motion, and color—from the vantage of space.” Colonel Bill McArthur ’73, Retired, says “Stepping out into, well, nothing, is a thrill, a sense of being on the very edge, but the moment Mission Control gives the ‘go,’ it’s all business.” Since 1998, NASA has employed EVAs as the prime method for assembling the International Space Station, including McArthur’s mission aboard Space Shuttle Discovery in 2000, the second shuttle mission to ISS, during which McArthur conducted two EVAs to connect cables to provide power to heaters, relocated antenna assemblies, and installed DC-to-DC converter units atop the ISS Z-1 Truss. “With their ability to think in abstract terms and lead in extreme situations, West Point graduates, and Army astronauts in general, have been essential to the assembly and construction of the space station,” Forrester says. Or, as Kimbrough, who logged more than 12 hours performing EVAs during his shuttle mission, says, “ISS should be camouflage in color if you counted all the Army astronauts, many who are West Point graduates, who played a role in its construction.”

Just as they once built ISS, many Army astronauts now live and work on it. “We are in a stretch right now during which the Army and West Point graduates, in particular, are leading the way with their continued presence on ISS,” says Forrester. According to Kopra, with the end of the shuttle program, the primary task for West Point and Army astronauts living on ISS has shifted from EVAs to producing data for a whole host of scientific experiments. ISS, composed of dozens of modules and as big as a football field (13,700 cubic feet), is essentially a 450-ton microgravity laboratory. Kopra noted in a 2015 interview with freelance writer Steve Brachmann that “there are just shy of 100 U.S.-led experiments and about 160 scientific experiments from the international community being facilitated by ISS crews,” who conduct experiments “for about 35 hours every week,” covering everything from Earth and

FORMER ASTRONAUTS (USMA Graduates)

STS-28

Total time in space: 13 days 22 hours

21 minutes

Gemini

2 EVAs with total time of 7 hours

52 minutes, including Lunar EVA

Total time in space: 12 days 1 hour

53 minutes

2000 Distinguished Graduate Award

Gemini 7 1965;

Total time in space: 19 days 21 hours

35 minutes

1996 Distinguished Graduate Award

STS-53

1 EVA with total time of 6 hours

2 minutes

Total time in space: 27 days 18 hours

25 minutes

Photos: courtesy of NASA

COL (R) James C. Adamson ’69 Group 10 (1984)

1989; STS-43 1991

Col. (R) Buzz Aldrin ’51, PhD, USAF Group 3 (1963)

12 1966; Apollo 11 1969

Col. (R) Frank Borman ’50 USAF Group 2 (1962)

Apollo 8 1968

LTC (R) Michael R. Clifford ’74 Group 13 (1990)

1992; STS-59 1994; STS-76 1996

Patrick Forrester ’79 and Tim Kopra ’85 show their Army Spirit aboard the ISS.

LEADERS ARE SHAPED BY THE VALUES THEY EMBODY

HAIL, ALMA MATER, DEAR! TO US BE EVER NEAR, HELP US THY MOTTO BEAR, THRU’ ALL THE YEARS. LET DUTY BE WELL PERFORMED, HONOR BE E’ER UNTARN’D, COUNTRY BE EVER ARMED, WEST POINT, BY THEE! GUIDE US, THINE OWN, ARIGHT, TEACH US BY DAY, BY NIGHT, TO KEEP THINE HONOR BRIGHT, FOR THEE TO FIGHT. WHEN WE DEPART FROM THEE, SERVING ON LAND OR SEA, MAY WE STILL LOYAL BE, WEST POINT, TO THEE! AND WHEN OUR WORK IS DONE, OUR COURSE ON EARTH IS RUN, MAY IT BE SAID,“WELL DONE. BE THOU AT PEACE.” E’ER MAY THAT LINE OF GRAY INCREASE FROM DAY TO DAY; LIVE, SERVE, AND DIE, WE PRAY, WEST POINT, FOR THEE! HAIL, ALMA MATER, DEAR! TO US BE EVER NEAR, HELP US THY MOTTO BEAR, THRU’ ALL THE YEARS. LET DUTY BE WELL PERFORMED, HONOR BE E’ER UNTARN’D, COUNTRY BE EVER ARMED, WEST POINT, BY THEE! GUIDE US, THINE OWN, ARIGHT, TEACH US BY DAY, BY NIGHT, TO KEEP THINE HONOR BRIGHT, FOR THEE TO FIGHT. WHEN WE DEPART FROM THEE, SERVING ON LAND OR SEA, MAY WE STILL LOYAL BE, WEST POINT, TO THEE! AND WHEN OUR WORK IS DONE, OUR COURSE ON EARTH IS RUN, MAY IT BE SAID,“WELL DONE. BE THOU AT PEACE.” E’ER MAY THAT LINE OF GRAY INCREASE FROM DAY TO DAY; LIVE, SERVE, AND DIE, WE PRAY, WEST POINT, FOR THEE! HAIL, ALMA MATER, DEAR! TO US BE EVER NEAR, HELP US THY MOTTO BEAR, THRU’ ALL THE YEARS. LET DUTY BE WELL PERFORMED, HONOR BE E’ER UNTARN’D, COUNTRY BE EVER ARMED, WEST POINT, BY THEE! GUIDE US, THINE OWN, ARIGHT, TEACH US BY DAY, BY NIGHT, TO KEEP THINE HONOR BRIGHT, FOR THEE TO FIGHT. WHEN WE DEPART FROM THEE, SERVING ON LAND OR SEA, MAY WE STILL LOYAL BE, WEST POINT, TO THEE! AND WHEN OUR WORK IS DONE, OUR COURSE ON EARTH IS RUN, MAY IT BE SAID,“WELL DONE. BE THOU AT PEACE.” E’ER MAY THAT LINE OF GRAY INCREASE FROM DAY TO DAY; LIVE, SERVE, AND DIE, WE PRAY, WEST POINT, FOR THEE! HAIL, ALMA MATER, DEAR! TO US BE EVER NEAR, HELP US THY MOTTO BEAR, THRU’ ALL THE YEARS. LET DUTY BE WELL PERFORMED, HONOR BE E’ER UNTARN’D, COUNTRY BE EVER ARMED, WEST POINT, BY THEE! GUIDE US, THINE OWN, ARIGHT, TEACH US BY DAY, BY NIGHT, TO KEEP THINE HONOR BRIGHT, FOR THEE TO FIGHT. WHEN WE DEPART FROM THEE, SERVING ON LAND OR SEA, MAY WE STILL LOYAL BE, WEST POINT, TO THEE! AND WHEN OUR WORK IS DONE, OUR COURSE ON EARTH IS RUN, MAY IT BE SAID,“WELL DONE. BE THOU AT PEACE.” E’ER MAY THAT LINE OF GRAY INCREASE FROM DAY TO DAY; LIVE, SERVE, AND DIE, WE PRAY, WEST POINT, FOR THEE! HAIL, ALMA MATER, DEAR! TO US BE EVER NEAR, HELP US THY MOTTO BEAR, THRU’ ALL THE YEARS. LET DUTY BE WELL PERFORMED, HONOR BE E’ER UNTARN’D, COUNTRY BE EVER ARMED, WEST POINT, BY THEE! GUIDE US, THINE OWN, ARIGHT, TEACH US BY DAY, BY NIGHT, TO KEEP THINE HONOR BRIGHT, FOR THEE TO FIGHT. WHEN WE DEPART FROM THEE, SERVING ON LAND OR SEA, MAY WE STILL LOYAL BE, WEST POINT, TO THEE! AND WHEN OUR WORK IS DONE, OUR COURSE ON EARTH IS RUN, MAY IT BE SAID,“WELL DONE. BE THOU AT PEACE.” E’ER MAY THAT LINE OF GRAY INCREASE FROM DAY TO DAY; LIVE, SERVE, AND DIE, WE PRAY, WEST POINT, FOR THEE! HAIL, ALMA MATER, DEAR! TO US BE EVER NEAR, HELP US THY MOTTO BEAR, THRU’ ALL THE YEARS. LET DUTY BE WELL PERFORMED, HONOR BE E’ER UNTARN’D, COUNTRY BE EVER ARMED, WEST POINT, BY THEE! GUIDE US, THINE OWN, ARIGHT, TEACH US BY DAY, BY NIGHT, TO KEEP THINE HONOR BRIGHT, FOR THEE TO FIGHT. WHEN WE DEPART FROM THEE, SERVING ON LAND OR SEA, MAY WE STILL LOYAL BE, WEST POINT, TO THEE! AND WHEN OUR WORK IS DONE, OUR COURSE ON EARTH IS RUN, MAY IT BE SAID, “WELL DONE. BE THOU AT PEACE.” E’ER MAY THAT LINE OF GRAY

As future academy graduates prepare for their military careers and beyond, support and advocacy is essential for their long-term success. Boeing is proud to partner with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs with the shared goals of leadership development and engineering excellence. Together, we’re helping shape leaders of character to better serve our nation and the world.

Gemini 10 1966; Apollo 11 1969

1 EVA with total time of 1 hour and 27 minutes

Total time in space: 11 days 2 hours

4 minutes

1998 Distinguished Graduate Award

space science to physics and biotechnology. “And when we are not conducting experiments, we are serving as the subject of the experiments,” Kopra says, referring to the number of physiological and medical experiments astronauts have to conduct on themselves, most of which are dedicated to studying how humans would fare on a long-duration mission to the Moon, an asteroid, or even Mars. “Overall, our six-month missions on the Space Station are very busy and very productive,” Kopra says.

Since Expedition 12 in 2005, five West Point graduates have commanded ISS (McArthur, Wheelock, Kopra, Williams-twice, and, starting in fall 2016, Kimbrough). Furthermore, according to a 2008 article appearing in Soldiers magazine that quotes McArthur, “The Army represents the smallest contingent of the joint services Astronaut Detachment, primarily composed of Navy and Air Force personnel, ‘but the amount of time we’ve spent on ISS way over-represents the time our sister services have spent there.’” Given the prevalence of West Point graduates and Army astronauts who have served aboard ISS, it might not be surprising to learn that 25 percent (two of eight) of NASA’s most recent astronaut class (2013) came from these institutions; however, it should be surprising, as it is a remarkable achievement! Approximately 6,300 individuals submitted an application for the Astronaut Class of 2013 with only a 0.7 percent chance of being selected by the end of the 18-month long process. With the selection of Morgan and McClain, the Army has now had astronauts in each of the last five candidate classes, and West Point graduates now make up almost 20 percent of NASA’s entire active astronaut corps, the largest percentage in history. Even non-West Point Army astronauts have ties to the Academy: both Colonel TJ

FORMER ASTRONAUTS (USMA

STS-38 1990; STS-48 1991;

1994

Total time in space: 24 days 5 hours

38 minutes

STS-41D 1984; STS-27 1988; STS-36 1990

Total time in space: 14 days 20 hours

20 minutes

STS-6 1983

1 EVA with total time of 4 hours 15 minutes

Total time in space: 5 days 23 minutes

Photos: courtesy of NASA

Maj. Gen. (R) Michael Collins ’52 USAF Group 3 (1963)

LTC (R) Charles D. Gemar ’79 Group 11 (1985)

STS-62

Col. (R) Richard M. Mullane ’67 USAF Group 8 (1978)

Col. (R) Donald H. Peterson ’55 USAF Group 7 (1969)

Graduates)

“Space magnifies West Point values. Negotiating extreme conditions, taking care of people, working with diverse teams, and knowing when to be a leader and when to be a follower are all lessons I learned at West Point.”

— COL (R) R. Shane Kimbrough ’89

Four of the Army Astronauts, pictured in 2014, include (L to R) Mark Vande Hei (former USMA Asst. Prof. of Physics) and USMA Grads Drew Morgan ’98, Shane Kimbrough ’89 and Anne McClain ’02.

Creamer, Retired, and Colonel Mark Vande Hei, Retired, taught in the Department of Physics.

What might account for the rise in the number of astronauts coming from West Point at this time? Morgan hypothesizes that it has to do with NASA’s current focus on long-duration missions.

“Like those past graduates who surveyed routes for the Transcontinental Railroad or mapped the topography of Manifest Destiny, we have an expeditionary mind set,” he says. “Who better than a West Point Army officer to endure living on the next frontier in uncomfortable circumstances?” McClain agrees, “NASA’s longduration space missions are much shorter than most of the combat deployments our soldiers have faced over the past two decades, and we are proud to represent those soldiers in space.” During Expedition 48, Williams surpassed Captain Scott Kelly’s U.S. record for the number of days in space by almost two weeks with a grand total of 534 days over four missions (Go Army! Beat Navy!). Morgan and McClain have trained for two years to become astronauts, qualifying in five areas: flying the T-38 jet, training for spacewalks, understanding ISS operations, operating robotic systems, and speaking the Russian language. “It was part college, part boot camp, and part test pilot school,” says McClain, the first female West Point graduate and only the second woman Army officer to be selected for the Astronaut Program. “Some lessons were physically challenging, some were mentally challenging; some required a ton of studying, some required a ton of performing.”

But NASA’s long-duration missions count on more than just practical task areas on which astronauts can train; they also depend on intangible qualities—such as teamwork, leadership, and courage—which take more than two years to develop, and this is where West Point astronauts really excel. “The Academy’s purpose is not to solely produce pilots and aerospace professionals, but it has

done a great job preparing astronauts, because USMA develops officers who are technically proficient and tactically sound leaders of character,” says Morgan. “Space magnifies West Point values,” says Kimbrough, “Negotiating extreme conditions, taking care of people, working with diverse teams, and knowing when to be a leader and when to be a follower are all lessons I learned at West Point, refined in the Army, and lived at NASA.” West Point values are so respected at NASA that when the agency needed someone to write the Astronaut Code of Professional Responsibility, the Chief of the Astronaut Office asked Forrester to lead the team. The Code, which Forrester acknowledges was partially influenced by the

Gemini 8 1966; Apollo 9 1969;

15 1971

4 EVAs with total time of 19 hours 35 minutes, including Lunar EVA

Total time in space: 22 days 18 hours

54 minutes

STS-61B 1985

2 EVAs with total time of 12 hours 14 minutes

Total time in space: 6 days 21 hours 4 minutes

Apollo 15 1971

1 EVA with total time of 38 minutes

Total time in space: 12 days 7 hours 12 minutes

Gemini 4 1965

First American EVA with total time of 36 minutes

Total time in space: 4 days 1 hour 56 minutes

DIED: January 27, 1967 in the Apollo 1 spacecraft fire at KSC, Florida

Col. (R) David R. Scott ’54 USAF Group 3 (1963)

Apollo

COL (R) Sherwood C. Spring ’67 Group 9 (1980)

Col. (R) Alfred M. Worden ’55 USAF Group 5 (1966)

FORMER ASTRONAUTS (USMA Graduates)

Lt. Col. Edward H. White II ’52 USAF Group 2 (1962)

DECEASED (USMA Graduate)

Anne McClain ’02 trains underwater in the NASA Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, which is used to simulate weightlessness in space.

Cadet Honor Code, covers seven tenets of ethical and professional conduct: competence, teamwork, integrity, relationships, personal behavior, stewardship, and lifelong commitment. As supervisor and mentor for the Astronaut Classes of 2000, 2009 and 2013, Forrester also played a role in introducing character development to astronaut training. “How one lives his or her life, personally and professionally, is a big part of being an astronaut,” Forrester says.

Kopra acknowledges that the well-rounded education West Point provides also plays a key role in the NASA application process. “Everyone respects the education and training cadets receive at West Point,” Kopra says. While West Point’s curriculum does not offer an “astronaut” major per se, its emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fulfills the educational background qualifications NASA seeks in astronaut candidates. “The fact that I came out of West Point with an engineering degree was a big plus,” says Forrester. Furthermore, McClain, whose current assignment at NASA involves performing engineering tests on launch vehicles such as the Atlas V and Falcon 9 rockets, says, “I apply the engineering lessons I learned at West Point every single day.” At West Point, McClain, a Mechanical Engineering major, took courses in that program’s Aeronautical Systems elective, which studies the science and design of fixedwing flight systems. At the time, this elective was the closest thing the Academy offered to cadets hoping to become astronauts, but, in 2015, the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering introduced a new Space and Astronautics major. “Astronautics studies objects in orbit, while Aeronautical Systems looks at objects in flight,” says Lieutenant Colonel Stacy Godshall, who facilitated the implementation of the new major.

One of the cadets currently on the Space and Astronautics track is Haley Duke ’18. In the summer of 2016, Duke, along with Adam Ruff ’17, visited Johnson Space Center (JSC) as part of West Point’s NASA Academic Individual Advanced Development Program (AIAD). Duke and Ruff conducted a mathematical analysis of debriefing reports from ISS and worked in JSC’s Rapid Prototyping Lab building hand controllers for the Orion spacecraft, which is designed to take humans beyond low Earth

orbit on a mission to the Moon, an asteroid, or even Mars. “My NASA experience supported not only my academic interests but my career interests as well,” she says. Duke, a member of the Cadet Glee Club, hopes to branch Aviation and become an astronaut, and imagines singing the “Alma Mater” as one of the first humans on the surface of Mars someday. “Whenever I sing that song, I can feel the literal connection I have with every West Point graduate,” she says.

This connection seems especially strong among West Point astronauts. At NASA, Duke met a number of them, including Morgan and McClain, who are continuing a tradition of West Point astronauts giving back to their alma mater by speaking to cadets and reinforcing the bond of the Long Gray Line. Borman addressed the Corps from the Poop Deck during Kopra’s plebe year (“He made a phenomenal impact on me,” says Kopra). Forrester returned to West Point to speak to engineering majors during McClain’s yearling year (“The words he spoke impacted my career,” she says). Kimbrough spoke with cadets in 2015 as part of the Stevens Leadership Development Series. And Williams and Kopra held a VTC from ISS with the cadets of MA104 and MA255 last spring, during which Kopra’s son Matthew ’19 was in attendance. In every encounter, the message has been the same: West Point prepares Army officers well, and Army officers have skills that translate well into becoming an astronaut (“or any profession, particularly those in service to the nation,” says McArthur), so cadets should follow their passions and concentrate on becoming the best Army officer possible. Morgan, the first Army physician to become an astronaut, believes that making decisions based on interest and passion made him stand out as a candidate. As Kopra said in his opening remarks during the VTC, “Some of the root things I learned at West Point—like discipline, dedication, and duty—as well as the character building experiences I had there, especially as they related to teamwork, all played a role in getting me to where I am today.” 

West Point magazine gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Jenny Knotts of NASA PAO and LTC Drew Morgan ’98 of NASA.

Left: Cadets Haley Duke ’18 and Adam Ruff ’17 visit the ISS mockup building at Johnson Space Center in summer 2016 as part of West Point’s Academic Individual Advanced Development program. Right: Cadets Duke and Ruff talk with NASA astronaut Tim Kopra ’85.

WEST POINT ASTRONAUTS by

the numbers

20

West Point Graduate astronauts

24

percent have spacewalk/EVA time

Space Shuttle Missions

U.S. Spacewalk: White ’52; Gemini 4, 6/3/65

Space Missions

FIVE GRADS orbited the moon (Borman ’50, Aldrin ’51, Collins ’52, Scott ’54, Worden ’55)

Grads walked on the moon (Aldrin ’51, Scott ’54)

Photos: courtesy of NASA

250 miles

straight above West Point

Photo tweeted by Kopra ’85 from ISS

former USMA faculty

former USAFA faculty

92 minutes: duration of ISS orbit around earth

17,500 miles per hour: speed of ISS in orbit

204 days/18 hours/

TOTAL EVA TIME AS OF 9/23/16

534

U.S. RECORD FOR MOST DAYS IN SPACE SET BY WILLIAMS ’80; 9/6/16

FIRST

SPACE SELFIE: Aldrin ’51; Gemini 12, 1966

16 USMA classes represented 1950 - 2002

Meet the Dean: A Conversation with BG Cindy Jebb ’82

By Keith J. Hamel, WPAOG staff

Brigadier General Cindy Jebb was both promoted to the rank of one-star general and named the U.S. Military Academy’s 14th Dean of the Academic Board on June 24, 2016. She is the first woman to hold the position. Jebb graduated from USMA in 1982 and went on to receive a master’s in political science from Duke University in 1992, a doctorate in political science from Duke in 1997, and a master’s in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College in 2000. Jebb recently served as U.S. Military Academy Professor and Head of the Department of Social Sciences.

QWhat are your goals for your tenure as Dean?

AI’m coming in with some initial priorities that my transition team is evaluating, but I am also open to listening to other ideas. I am spending this fall visiting all of the different departments and centers, as well as visiting classes. Right now, I have three areas of focus: people, curriculum, and resources. When it comes to people, primarily the cadets and the faculty, it’s all about talent management and relationships. First, talent: How do we ensure that we are setting the conditions to continually attract the best and brightest cadets and faculty? Are we developing, retaining, and employing that talent? For example, are cadets informed and choosing a major that aligns with their passion? We want cadets to choose the majors that will bring out the best in them. Are we developing our junior faculty while they are here and making sure they are poised for success after they depart West Point? Are we providing senior faculty the opportunities they need to continue to grow professionally? The second aspect of this priority concerns relationship building. We have to set the conditions that provide staff, faculty, and cadets the opportunity to engage with one another across different departments and the Academy as well as build relationships beyond West Point. When it comes to the curriculum, we need to implement curricular changes thoughtfully and deliberately so that they have the impact we intend for them to have. We also need to strengthen our culture of improvement so that we track

and document our successes and address any shortcomings associated with the curriculum and how we teach. Finally, when it comes to resources, I want to ensure that departments have the time, space, and funding to do their work. This involves making sure that faculty members have the opportunity to properly prepare for classes, conduct research, and mentor cadets. It means providing opportunities, structure, and space for more interdepartmental collaboration and learning, which are important to making sure our cadets are ready to meet the challenges they’ll face as graduates. Finally, it means continuing to work with the USMA staff on the institutional strategy for sustainment and renovation of facilities, as well as constructing a new academic building.

QHow will your social science background affect your role as Dean?

AI had the opportunity to learn a great deal as the Deputy and as the Head of the Department of Social Sciences, and I will draw upon those experiences. Although as Dean I am looking at issues at a higher level, my time leading the Department of Social Sciences helped me realize the importance of managing talent and building relationships. I greatly enjoyed working with colleagues to collaboratively lead the department. As Dean, I now get to work with many more people, as we all lean in to advance our institution.

Photo: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

QHow has the USMA curriculum evolved to meet the challenges of today’s Army and today’s complex world?

AWe employ a liberal education curriculum: 50 percent social sciences/humanities and 50 percent STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). It is designed to teach cadets how to think, not what to think. We are not about producing mathematicians, engineers, philosophers, or economists, but we want our cadets to know how to think like them. We graduate problem-solvers. More than that, our graduates must be able to anticipate new kinds of problems and even understand what problems they ought not try to solve. They need to be open and know how to work with diverse teams, whether that be other militaries, NGOs, or other elements of civil society. We are asking a great deal from our graduates, so we must ensure we are developing leaders of character who can think critically, who internalize our professional identity, and who know how to employ their education to help build the future of our Army and nation. The gem of our curriculum will always be the core, while the majors program offers a study in depth component of their education.

QWhat guidance from the Army does the Dean receive in preparing cadets academically?

AWe pull from two major threads to inform the development of our curriculum: 1) the needs of the Army, and 2) best practices and trends in higher education. This is a delicate balance. We stay connected to the operational Army in a number of ways: through the collaborative nature of our research, by having routine partnerships with members of the operational force, through our rotating military faculty, and by current faculty periodically going downrange and working in different operational environments. We also stay engaged with best practices and trends in higher education through our faculty’s engagement with their disciplines as well as broader engagement with national-level higher education organizations and our accreditors. These connections are vital to our curriculum, and through continuous engagement we adapt the curriculum to ensure we are preparing leaders of character who have the mental agility to succeed in an increasingly complex, dangerous, and uncertain world.

QHow have AIADs (Academic Individual Advanced Development programs), research projects with faculty members, and other Margin of Excellence initiatives augmented cadets’ education? [Note: Margin of Excellence programs, including AIADs, are funded through private donations via WPAOG.]

AThey’ve been fantastic, an invaluable part of cadet development. Last summer we sent more than 1,000 cadets on AIADs, approximately 300 of which were overseas. Having experiential learning opportunities allows cadets to apply their education and see the gaps as well as the connections between theory and practice. They bring back what they learned to the classroom, adding a great deal to the discussion. AIADs also inspire new capstone research projects for cadets. I would love for every cadet to have a cultural immersion experience. As one commander once told us, “We don’t want our new lieutenants suffering culture shock and

combat shock simultaneously.” When you learn about other cultures, you become more self-aware, and we want to graduate self-aware, confident, and humble leaders who can think critically, have the humility to seek new knowledge, and know what questions must be asked. As for research projects, when you think about learning in this day and age, the importance of guided inquiry and project-based learning is paramount. Our research centers have been the engines of innovation, bringing in resources for projects that promote this type of learning, while providing the force with the latest thinking on threats, over-the-horizon problem sets and opportunities, and vulnerabilities. What’s more, the research has impacted teaching, as a lot of this cutting-edge research gets folded back into the curriculum. This has had a major impact on cadet education as some cadets are working on the toughest challenges our country faces during their undergraduate studies.

QCan you talk about the dual nature of USMA’s faculty, namely the rotating military and civilian professors?

AI could go on and on about the phenomenal credentials of all of our faculty, which includes everything from White House Fellows to published authors. What unites all of us is our dedication to the mission of the Academy; we are all expected to pursue excellence in five domains: teaching, cadet development, faculty development, scholarship, and service. It is up to department heads and the senior faculty to determine how to weigh each domain according to the development model that works best for their faculty in their department. For example, senior faculty may do more in terms of service and faculty development, while junior faculty might devote more time to teaching and leading cadet development activities. Everyone here is valued, whether it is their first year or their twentieth year, and we all learn from one another.

QDo you expect “Professor Jebb” to make a return to the classroom while you are Dean?

AI will absolutely make a return to the classroom. I enjoy the energy of cadets too much not to return. I so admire their openness to different ideas. Whether it was in my first year of teaching or my twentieth, I’ve always found myself refreshed through teaching. By engaging with cadets and listening to their perspectives, I continue learning myself.

Given her commitment to relationship-building as Dean, it is not surprising that Jebb would like to acknowledge all the people who helped her achieve her new position. “I’ve had outstanding soldiers, leaders, and mentors throughout the years,” she says, starting with her parents, who taught her that through focus and hard work she could accomplish anything. “I am also indebted to my colleagues across the Academy,” Jebb says. “Being able to learn from them has been phenomenal.” Most of all, she appreciates the support of her husband Joel ’82, who directs the English program at the USMA Prep School, and their three children: Ben ’13, a first lieutenant at Fort Lewis, WA; Alex, a recent graduate of John Hopkins University, MD, and a Duke University, NC, graduate program, soon to begin work at Accenture; and Olivia, a recent graduate of the College of William and Mary, VA, and a teacher with City Year during her gap year. 

By Anthony DiNoto, WPAOG staff

The 2016 Nininger Award

By Keith J. Hamel, WPAOG staff

On September 22, 2016, the West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) presented the 2016 Nininger Award for Valor at Arms to Major Matthew A. Chaney ’01. A recipient of the Silver Star for “bravery in the face of the enemy, skill at arms, and aggressive assault of prepared enemy defenses” while serving as detachment commander for Special Forces Operational Detachment 083 of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) during Operation Iraqi Freedom on September 10, 2007, Chaney told the Corps of Cadets assembled in the Mess Hall for the Nininger Ceremony how his experience in Iraq related to what they were learning at West Point.

“Looking back on that night, I realized that we were all trained to size up a fluid situation and make the best decision available…

Our individual and collective preparation to that point in

our careers had developed in us a mental toughness. In my case, this preparation began on the Army Rugby fields, in the Patrols at Camp Buckner, and in the classrooms here at West Point…Mental toughness is developed each time you choose to override your natural human response to stress. The West Point experience, chock full of stress, is incrementally building this in you…I know that you hear something like this every day; however, you should be confident that what you are experiencing here at West Point is making you stronger.”

Cadets, such as Amanda Blanco ’17, took Chaney’s message to heart. “We get so caught up in the day-to-day life here— academics, sports, duties—but listening to Major Chaney made me realize that we are doing all these seemingly tedious things for a bigger cause.”

Photo: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

Endowed by E. Douglas Kenna ’45 and his wife Jean, the Nininger Award is named for Second Lieutenant Alexander R. Nininger ’41, who fought the enemy to his death during the Battle of Bataan in January 1942 and posthumously received World War II’s first Medal of Honor. In addition to recognizing the recipient for his or her bravery as an individual, WPAOG regards the recipient as a given year’s representative of all West Point-commissioned officers who have heroically led soldiers in combat.

“Throughout its history, West Point has produced leaders of character who have served our nation with valor and distinction,” said the Superintendent, Lieutenant General Robert Caslen ’75, in his remarks opening the ceremony.

“Major Matt Chaney is one such leader of character, who has displayed extraordinary valor and heroism in combat in the spirit of Lieutenant Nininger, and who truly embodies the West Point values of Duty, Honor, County, as well as the values of our Army.”

Photos: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG; John Pellino/DPTMS

Previous page: First Captain Hugh McConnell ʼ17 presents MAJ Matthew Chaney ʼ01 with a cadet saber at the Nininger Award Ceremony. Clockwise from above left: MAJ Chaney addresses the Corps of Cadets. USMA Superintendent LTG Robert Caslen ʼ75, MAJ Chaney and WPAOG President and CEO Todd Browne ʼ85 at the Nininger Award Ceremony. The Nininger medal. MAJ Chaney and the members of the Army West Point Rugby Team.

Becoming the Most Highly Connected Alumni Body in the World

Todd Browne ’85, WPAOG’s New President and CEO, Outlines His Vision

OnJuly 1, 2016, Todd Browne ’85 assumed the duties of President and CEO of the West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG). It is a responsibility for which he is well prepared. During Browne’s 29-year career as an Army officer, he served as executive officer for the United States Military Academy’s Admissions Office and as an instructor in the Department of Social Sciences. For 13 years, he led USMA’s Directorate of Academy Advancement, the primary liaison office between WPAOG and USMA. Upon his retirement from the Army in 2014, he was selected to be WPAOG’s Chief Operating Officer. In addition, Browne has served as president and treasurer for the Class of 1985, and he was the fundraising chair for its 20th Reunion Class gift.

With these numerous West Point experiences as background, Browne has developed a clear vision for WPAOG: “The vision I have is something I’ve been thinking about for the past 15 years in some shape or form,” he says. “It is for the Long Gray Line to be the most highly connected alumni body in the world: connected with one another and connected with our alma mater.” To translate this vision into reality, Browne initially plans to emphasize service to the Long Gray Line, one of the two elements in WPAOG’s mission “to serve West Point and the Long Gray Line.” Browne and his team of professionals at Herbert Hall, supported by many volunteers, have already begun to implement the first set of initiatives designed to enhance connectivity.

In fact, Browne’s priorities include establishing a WPAOG Connect program. “For many years, WPAOG has done a great job of supporting USMA Classes and West Point Societies, and we will continue to do so,” Browne says. “Moving forward we will work to put in place an online capability for graduates to stay connected with each other across the spectrum of activities, from social interactions to business purposes.” Facilitating interaction among alumni based on mutual interests requires not only agile information technology platforms but also thoughtfully designed information management processes and policies to address security and privacy aspects of the service. Browne sees WPAOG as the natural developer, maintainer, and steward of this WPAOG Connect capability.

Another area of emphasis is career services. WPAOG’s current career services effort is centered on the Service Academy Career Conferences. Browne believes WPAOG has another niche that should be well developed: “I believe that graduates rightly expect

WPAOG to be the ‘master’ of the graduate network —a hub for alumni interaction. WPAOG services should facilitate the connection of graduates in career transition or those preparing for career moves with other graduates or friends of West Point who are employers. Like the WPAOG Connect program, WPAOG’s enhanced career services program will help graduates interact with one another based on profession or career field. In many cases, the information technology-based system will enable direct, unassisted contact, but WPAOG will also have a dedicated career services staff to assist graduates.

Developing a Rockbound Highland Home program is another initiative, and it has already debuted in The Gift Shop at Herbert Hall. As a brand, Rockbound Highland Home products pay lighthearted homage to West Point. However, the apparel, tailgate items, and other consumer products will be joined by a program in the early stages of coordination with USMA. Its focus will be to give graduates an enhanced experience when they return “home” to West Point. “Given the current world environment, the security of cadets and West Point are rightfully a top priority for the Army and WPAOG supports those efforts. We intend to collaborate with USMA to assist alumni with navigating the badging process, to

Photo: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

WPAOG President and CEO Todd Browne ’85 speaks to the Corps of Cadets at Washington Hall during the 2016 Nininger Award Ceremony.

establish a graduate ‘insider’ tour, and to grant special access to some on-post facilities, so that our graduates and their families can have a great experience when they visit their alma mater,” says Browne. WPAOG has also begun discussions with developers of a Rockbound Highland Home smartphone app, which will guide graduates and their families on self-directed tours in order to update themselves on West Point architecture, culture, monuments, and history.

Browne also intends to emphasize meaningful engagement with the extended WPAOG family such as widows and widowers of graduates, parents of cadets, and especially the cadets. “We have found that many cadets don’t really understand that many of their academic, athletic, and other co-curricular and enrichment experiences depend on private donations,” says Browne. “So, educating cadets about the role of donors is the starting place for institutionalizing a more widespread and enduring culture of philanthropy. Re-paying a gift forward is a mode of selfless service. It is a concept familiar to everyone at West Point. If we thoughtfully and respectfully educate cadets about this dynamic, more of today’s cadet-beneficiaries will naturally become tomorrow’s graduate-donors.”

This outreach to the extended WPAOG family can also help with engagement of alumni who graduated within the past 10 years. Browne understands that service in the Army is extremely demanding, and that recent graduates have limited time to interact with West Point and WPAOG. Starting careers and, for some, starting families, is the priority, so many graduates wait until their 10-year Class Reunion to reconnect with West Point. “The 10 most recent graduating classes represent one-fifth of our alumni body. If we want the Long Gray Line to be the most highly connected alumni body in the world, we need to help our younger graduates stay connected. Parents play an important role in keeping young graduates connected to their alumni network. We want to make sure we are there for our alumni when they need us,” says Browne. “We need to spark enduring affinity for West Point as early as possible. Younger ‘Old Grads,’ as well as cadets, know that West Point will always be a major part of their lives. We just need to make it easy for them to participate in ways that fit into their busy lives.”

Services for the Long Gray Line, as well as for the extended WPAOG family, are the foundation of Browne’s plans for WPAOG. He believes that the vast majority of graduates would say their lives have been positively shaped by their days at West Point, and that most would say their lives continue to be enriched by their relationships with other graduates and with their alma mater. Since our Association’s establishment in 1869, its purpose has centered on

helping graduates interact with each other and with their Rockbound Highland Home for reasons that are relevant to their lives and for activities that further the ideals and welfare of West Point. That traditional purpose of WPAOG is also the azimuth Browne has set—to continue to evolve the Long Gray Line into the most highly connected alumni body in the world . 

“If we want the Long Gray Line to be the most highly connected alumni body in the world, we need to help our younger graduates stay connected.”

— Todd A. Browne ’85, WPAOG President & CEO

USMA Superintendent LTG Robert Caslen ʼ75, U.S. Army Surgeon General LTG Nadja West ʼ82, WPAOG Chairman LTG (R) Larry Jordan ʼ68, WPAOG Vice Chairman Ellen Houlihan ʼ82, and Browne at the 2016 West Point Alumni Leaders Conference, sponsored by the Class of 1967.

Browne and Frederic V. Malek ʼ59, co-chair of the For Us All Campaign, celebrate the groundbreaking for the Malek West Point Visitors Center.

The West Point Museum: The Backstory of Presenting and Preserving America’s Military Heritage

By Keith J. Hamel, WPAOG staff

Photo: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

The West Point Museum, the oldest museum in the federal system, excels at telling stories.

For example, it tells the story of the United States’ oldest continuously occupied military post from the time of the Great Chain through the admittance of women to the United States Military Academy in its West Point Gallery. Likewise, it chronicles the nation’s conflicts from the colonial era to the Vietnam War in its American Wars Gallery. But the stories at the museum are not limited to those told by its six permanent galleries and various rotating display areas. Behind each of the 125-plus exhibits at the West Point Museum is another story: a continuous, complex, and captivating backstory of the many choices made by essential members of the museum staff (and, occasionally, Academy personnel) to bring that exhibit into existence. With plots that weave together government funding, scholarship, conservation, and logistics, these backstories are often as interesting as the exhibits themselves. The “Championing a Nation” temporary exhibit, which opened on February 15, 2016 and is located in the museum’s second-floor hallway, is one such story.

“Championing a Nation” is the brainchild of Marlana Cook, Curator of Art at the West Point Museum. She is one of three curators at the museum: there is also a Curator of History (Michael McAfee) and a Curator of Arms and Armor (Les Jensen). Cook’s domain is the third floor south wing of Olmsted Hall 2, named after Major General George H. Olmsted ’22, who donated nearly $4.5 million to purchase specialized museum needs that were not covered by congressionally-appropriated funding.

Olmsted Hall has been the museum’s home since 1988, when it moved there after a 30-year stay in Thayer Hall.

Cook’s space is dominated by rows and rows of shelves holding art and paperwork related to West Point. Down one row on a middle shelf is a Winslow Homer watercolor worth, well, “a lot of money,” according to Cook. On top of shelves in another room are boxes containing World War I maps that belonged to General John J. Pershing, Class of 1886. While working among notable paintings by Peter Rindisbacher or portraits of past USMA Superintendents sounds exciting, Cook admits that she spends most of her time performing administrative duties. Yet, in between answering email requests from scholars and arranging to ship out artwork in need of repair, Cook still finds time to explore the unseen parts of her vast collection. While looking for an opportunity to do an exhibit celebrating the centennial of World War I, Cook discovered some prints that had not been exhibited at the museum before. The prints had been commissioned by the Committee on Public Information, a group consisting of the Secretaries of State, War, and the Navy, which was formed on April 13, 1917 to shape American opinion about the Great War and the United States’ role in it. Cook researched the matter for six months and learned that she had a number of pieces in her collection related to this committee, enough to propose an exhibit on American propaganda during World War I.

Cook worked her theme into an exhibit plan and proposed it at one of the museum’s regular exhibit meetings. Every quarter the museum holds these meetings to discuss changes that need to be made to its exhibits. Sometimes an exhibit needs to change because an artifact on loan must be returned to the lending agency (for example, a lunar sample from Apollo 15’s mission to the moon that NASA presented to the family of Ed White II ’52 is at the museum on a two-year loan). Also, for conservation and preservation purposes, Army regulations mandate that the nearly eight dozen museums in its system rotate textiles (e.g. uniforms) and paper (e.g. artwork) every two years. “There’s always an undercurrent of change churning at the museum,” says Paul Ackermann, Conservator of the West Point Museum, “but the storylines, which are primarily used to augment the military education of the Corps of Cadets, remain consistent.”

Like all curator exhibit plans, Cook’s proposal included an abstract of what she hoped her exhibit would accomplish, a list of the artifacts to be exhibited, and a treatment of how the exhibit’s storyline would flow. The staff reviews these plans and discusses whether or not to green-light an exhibit and, if so, where to present

Photo: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

Previous page: Marlana Cook, Curator of Art at the West Point Museum, and the “Championing a Nation” exhibit. Above: Cook examines artwork in her collection in anticipation for her next exhibit idea.

it (artifacts from the West Point Museum are not only found in Olmsted Hall but also all around post: Trophy Point, academic halls, Cullum Hall, Jefferson Library, general officers’ quarters, department collections, Fort Putnam, and Constitution Island). Once a location has been determined, the curator works with the museum’s designers, conservators, and technicians to figure out the steps required to make the exhibit plan a reality in the space provided. Cases might need to be made, frames might need to be ordered, particular lights might need to be rigged, and, as David Reel, Director of the West Point Museum, puts it, “With the government process, these are things that are not going to happen overnight.” Adding conservation to the mix adds even more time. Ackermann says that it could take up to 18 months to prepare paintings for an exhibition: “I spend six months or so securing funding, the conservator spends an additional six months or so actually repairing the artwork, and if it has to go through the contracting process, it can take up to another six months to gather estimates, put out a request for bid, and get the bids approved and awarded.” In total, it is not unusual for the museum to plan an exhibit two to three years in advance.

After Cook’s exhibit plan for “Championing a Nation” was approved, she began working with Jose Cartagena, Exhibit Specialist for the West Point Museum. Cartagena’s job is to take the curator’s artifact list and sample imagery and develop a visual layout and design for the exhibit. A former Navy journeyman shipfitter and high-pressure welder with a master’s degree in visual arts that emphasized wood, sculpture, and furniture, Cartagena has decades of fabricating and design experience. The only

stipulation Cook had for the “Championing a Nation” exhibit was that it had to be done in a dazzle camouflage design, which was used on ships during World War I. The visual design component was only one of several factors Cartagena had to take into account. He also needed to factor in traffic considerations for the exhibit space, given that the museum uses an elevator directly behind the exhibit to transport large carts and paintings to the second floor. Since the exhibit features a video monitor, he also needed to consider power requirements. Lastly, every exhibit at the museum is subject to the Americans with Disability Act, which stipulates (among other requirements) that two wheelchairs must be able to pass by each other without incident and establishes eye-height guidelines for signage.

With all these factors in mind, Cartagena hand-rendered a series of floor plans for Cook to consider. The two then went back and forth tweaking the design until both were satisfied. Then, Cartegena used CAD software to create a digital model of the exhibit. Sometimes, given the value or fragility of the original objects, he will make physical mockups of artifacts to handle while setting up an exhibit. He did this while working with Jensen (he works with all curators simultaneously) on a sabre exhibit in the museum’s first-floor foyer gallery. For this exhibit, Cartegena fabricated nearly invisible acrylic mountings to support each sword and repurposed museum cases so that the weapons appeared as prized jewels. “I am always thinking about how to reuse materials and minimize costs,” Cartegena says. Speaking of costs, Cartegena is also involved in a long-term project to replace all of the museum’s 300-watt lights with 11-watt LED bulbs, which will

Photo: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

Acrylic mounts made by Jose Cartagena, Exhibit Specialist, display swords as “jewels” for the temporary “American Presentation Swords” exhibit in the West Point Museum’s Foyer Gallery.

save money on electricity and cooling and also decrease the amount of damaging ultraviolet rays reaching the artifacts. “They also shed accurate light, rated 97 on the color-rendering scale, so paintings ‘pop,’” he says.

Returning to the “Championing a Nation” exhibit and recalling Cook’s one request, Cartegena went to Rhode Island School of Design’s library and studied its collection of World War I dazzle paint schemes. Then, using a PANTONE color app, he extracted the colors seen in the exhibit from sheet music Cook found and plugged these authentic color values into his digital model. “So, the colors visitors are seeing are the same World War I colors the public was seeing in media during that era,” Cook says. Cartegena also sent these colors to West Point’s Visual Information Division so that color scheme could be used on signage as well. In addition to the dazzle color palette, a World War I olive drab serves as the underlying color for the entire exhibit.

Another issue Cartegena had to solve was how to secure all of the artwork in the exhibit. Security is a main concern at any museum, and the West Point Museum uses cameras, case locks, and government-employed security guards to safeguard its treasures. For the “Championing a Nation” exhibit, Cartegena securely mounted the artwork to the hallway’s permanent wall on one side and to a Mila-wall (a German-engineered, hollow-core temporary wall that can be configured a number of ways) on the other side. “In any exhibit, we have to consider how the public is going to interact with the artifacts and hope to be as discreet as possible,” Cartegena says, “but, at the same time, we always have to assume that someone will touch them in a way that could damage them.”

At the center of the exhibit is a book that Cook borrowed from the library containing original copies of “Bulletin,” the Army’s official newspaper during World War I that was controlled by the Committee on Public Information. Given the condition of the

old book, Cartegena had to fabricate a special mount to reduce the amount of stress on the book and to preserve its deteriorating spine. Also, because “Bulletin” was printed on acidic paper, Cook is required to turn chunks of pages every three weeks so that the printing is not damaged by light. “So, the headlines one sees in this exhibit are constantly changing,” she says.

Amid something so old, the “Championing a Nation” exhibit features something new for the West Point Museum, a multimedia approach to artifacts. Cook included a slideshow in her last temporary exhibit, “Pictures from Panama,” but the new exhibit ups the ante by combining period music with a period film. Museum Technician Christopher Goodrow edited five different musical tracks that directly correspond to the sheet music featured in the exhibit, along with newsreel footage that was shot by the Signal Corps during World War I to show troop movements to movie theater audiences back home in the U.S.

Cartagena’s digital rendering of the “Championing a Nation” exhibit, showing the colors, dazzle camouflage design, and posters Cook requested.

Both the music and film come from the Prelinger Archive, a public domain collection of nearly 12,000 digitized home movies and industrial films that was acquired by the Library of Congress in 2002. “Visitors can watch the film, listen to the music, and envision the sense of patriotism U.S. citizens were experiencing back in that time,” Cook says. Having this technology helps the West Point Museum, which is traditionally a heavily artifact-based institution, keep up with trends seen at other museums; although, relying on artifacts has allowed the museum to put on well thought-out exhibits during times when funding was tight.

The museum houses approximately 65,000 artifacts, of which less than 10 percent are on display at any one time, and its collection is constantly growing. Museum personnel report responding to at least one inquiry per day from potential artifact donors, most of which, according to Brian Rayca, Registrar for the West Point Museum, tend to be related to military uniforms. According to Ackermann, multiple donations help build redundancy in the collection so curators can rotate artifacts per Army regulation without breaking a gallery’s storyline (e.g., replacing a Confederate uniform with another Confederate uniform). “The museum began as a teaching collection to supplement the education of cadets,” says Reel, “and it continues to collect so we can explain to cadets how things—uniforms, accoutrements, weapons, and other elements associated with the profession of arms—have evolved over time.” Such a collection takes up a lot of space. The museum

has 18,645 square feet of exhibit space covering two floors, plus an additional two floors of storage space, including a brand new compact storage system holding 2,017 small weapons (Goodrow and a contract assistant recently inventoried all of them!) in the basement of Olmsted Hall, which was formerly the Ladycliff College swimming pool.

The final element to the “Championing a Nation” exhibit, which is another novel element for the museum, is the handheld gallery information card. The museum did not have the funding to print brochures, so Cook, not wanting to label every single item out of concern that it would mar the arrangement of the prints and clutter the painted walls, created a card that patrons can pick up from one holder at the start of the exhibit and deposit in another bin at the end of the exhibit. Sticking with the strategy she used in other parts of the exhibit, Cook wrote the text using a font that resembles one seen in newspapers and magazines of that time period.

“The amount of thought and effort that a curator puts into a project determines the success of the exhibit,” Cartegena maintains; however, after examining the backstory of one of these exhibits, it is clear that the success of the West Point Museum, which regularly receives “very good” or “excellent” marks from its nearly quarter of a million annual visitors, is really a team effort. That’s a story that should be told over and over at West Point.

Photos: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

Above: Book containing copies of the Army’s “Official Bulletin.” Due to the frailty of the document, a special mount needed to be fabricated to protect the book’s spine and its pages need to be turned en masse every three weeks.

Left: Jose Cartagena displays some of the approximately 65,000 artifacts housed at the museum, many of which are historic military uniforms.

The West Point Museum is located at West Point’s South Post and is open every day 10:30am-4:15pm, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. The “Championing a Nation” exhibit runs through January 2018.

And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there…

—Francis Scott Key

Photo: SFC Willie Calohan

Behind the Scenes of West Point’s Biggest Event: Graduation

It is 48 hours before Graduation 2016. Approximately three dozen representatives from various West Point agencies have packed into West Point’s Emergency Operation Center (EOC) for an operations schedule meeting (OPSKED) regarding the big event. The EOC is West Point’s version of a war room, complete with wall-sized maps, multiple video screens, a long wood table with individualized data and phone stations, and a podium marked with a “Battle Captain” plaque. It is used to receive and disseminate information during major West Point events and maintains constant contact with the on-site Tactical Operations Center established for each event.

“No earlier than midnight, the G1 pre-stages diplomas in the visitor locker room, is that

By Keith J. Hamel, WPAOG staff

correct?” asks Joe Colombo, Chief of Plans and Operations for the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security.

“Correct,” says Major Julie Schwetz ’04, G1, Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel.

“Is that when the Class Gift is being brought to the stadium?” someone else asks.

“What about the CDX trophy?” a fourth person asks.

This brief exchange begins to demonstrate the number of variables and the level of detail that goes into planning West Point’s graduation. While small finishing touches are discussed during the OPSKED, the overall planning for each year’s graduation actually begins as soon as the previous one ends, and, according to Colombo, “There are hundreds of steps to take between the first meeting and the execution of the event.” Despite the number of

Photo: SSG Vito T. Bryant

tasks to accomplish, the goal is to make every graduation ceremony as seamless as possible. “Family and friends come here happy; we want them to leave happy,” Colombo says.

The first step towards planning West Point’s graduation is to consider the items contained in the after action review (AAR) from the previous year’s event. The AAR for Graduation 2015 had 26 issues to discuss and resolve in committee. USMA’s G3, the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, led a review, going line by line on whether to “sustain” or “improve” the issue under consideration, particularly examining the reason for things not going according to plan during the event. One thing that the 2015 event showed is that West Point needs to do a better job helping guests with limited mobility. “It’s a perpetual issue,” says Colombo. “Graduation brings the greatest number of elderly visiting West Point on a single day.” From the AAR meeting, the G3 then puts out a graduation operation order. “This year’s had over 20 appendices,” says Colombo. “It could have easily worked as a door stop.” Colombo hands this document over to his staff and has them go through the order looking for duplication of tasks. Colombo then submits the synthesized order with 100 or so tasks to the department leaders involved with graduation to execute, asking them to perform a “green/amber/red” review noting any friction points in the order.

As the date for the event gets closer and closer, the various agencies and departments involved with graduation have to devote more and more time to getting things ready. The Department of Public Works (DPW), for example, needs to dewinterize Michie Stadium by ensuring that water is flowing, air conditioning is working, turf protection is in place, staging is constructed, electricity is available where needed, sewage systems are in order, and a whole host of other systems are in place.

By April, the operational focus for the event is clear, and the plan for setting up for graduation is in place. “We usually need two weeks to set up everything,” says Ray King, Chief of Operations for DPW. First, the hired contractor comes in to set up the floor. Then, on the second half of day two, DPW workers start putting together the graduation dais, which needs to be spread out piece by piece before being assembled like Lego pieces. There are also approximately 220 benches for cadet seating to set up, which are kept with the dais in a storage room below the east stands of Michie Stadium. For each graduation, workers retrieve the benches, check them for safety (re-tightening bolts if needed), power wash them, and put them in place, with regulations dictating the amount of space between the benches and the dais. “There also needs to be 90 feet between the podium on the stage and a media platform that DPW sets up during this time,” says Colombo. “This is so that media agencies can calculate the focus and depth of field requirements they need to get the perfect shot for video.”

“And it’s not just work at the stadium,” King says, “We are also doing all the land maintenance needed for all the Grad Week activities leading up to graduation: putting down sod, painting chains that line the walkways, cleaning the Superintendent’s Review Stands, trimming shrubs and trees, and more.” King matter-of-factly states that unless something life-threatening

comes up, nothing else is getting done by DPW for two weeks in May because of the graduation-related activities. “It is the most demanding event we do all year,” he says.

Aside from the maintenance work, preparations for graduation include six key areas: security, parking, protocol, shuttle bus operations, stadium gate operations, and miscellaneous operations activities, requirements, or actions. “When you think about it, our planning corresponds to the normal activities for visitors coming to graduation,” Colombo says. “They have to move their vehicles through one of the access control points; they have to park; some have to take a shuttle bus to the stadium; they have to go through security; and then they have to find their seats in time for the ceremony to begin.”

Of the above preparations, security involves the most planning, especially during graduations involving the President or Vice President as the speaker. Metal detectors need to be set up, sweeps of the stadium needed to be completed, blocking positions need to be manned, movements of the official party need to coordinated, and dozens of other security measures (some too sensitive to print) need to be implemented to ensure a secure and safe event. West Point’s Department of Emergency Services schedules approximately 240 internal security officers for graduations and external agencies bring the total to more than 400. In addition, when the President or Vice President attends graduation, the Secret Service brings 75-100 agents as part of its security detail.

Parking and the movement of visitors into the stadium are two other monumental logistical tasks. Before the morning of

Photo: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

Joe Columbo, Chief of Plans and Operations for West Point’s Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security, leads an OPSKED, or “operations schedule” meeting 48 hours before West Point Graduation, a massive and unique event since it occurs on a fully functioning U.S. Army installation (the oldest continually occupied garrison in the United States) and must follow Department of Defense and Federal Installation public access guidelines.

graduation, certain parking lots, particularly those near the stadium, need to be cleared of vehicles. Days prior to the event, signs are positioned in strategic areas informing West Point personnel of parking restrictions, and vehicles are towed if they remain beyond the deadline. On the day of graduation, the parking at and around the stadium goes to Academy protocol, first responders, and the Secret Service (if the President or Vice President is attending). At 5:30am, parking attendants begin executing their duties, and shuttle buses begin operating throughout the installation along three routes (red, blue, green) at 6:00am. Approximately 7,000 to 10,000 vehicles will enter West Point and move to assigned parking lots through numerous traffic control points. At 7:00am, Michie Stadium opens for the 18,000-22,000 guests attending graduation, three hours before graduation is scheduled to begin. And by the time the graduation countdown clock begins at 8:30am, everything is in place for “showtime.” The sound system has been checked, the 2nd through 4th Class cadets have arrived and taken their seats, and WPAOG’s 50-Year Affiliation Class “bar-pinners” (who hand out second lieutenant bars to the graduates as they come off the stage after they have received their diplomas) have been escorted to the stadium.

The graduation plan remains in place for hours after the graduates’ white caps have been tossed into the air. Military police, for example, take up positions to prevent visitors from exiting Michie Stadium’s Gate 1 until the official party’s motorcade has departed. Shuttle buses also run throughout the Installation until 4:30pm bringing guests to after-graduation ceremonies or to their vehicles. One hour after the event, the clean-up begins. Trucks from the Logistics Readiness Center arrive at the stadium to collect the dais chairs and return them to their home in the Superintendent’s Conference Room, and DPW gathers up the bunting around the dais and the state flags flying on top of the stadium’s east stands. On the Monday following graduation, DPW begins striking the dais, benches, and media platform. By Friday, the process is complete, and the AAR is being compiled for next year’s event.

Graduation is a major event for West Point, and there are a lot of moving parts, but after 214 years of graduating cadets, the Academy knows how to handle it pretty well. “The only thing that can cause a significant snag in the process is weather,” says Colombo. Yet, he notes that the Academy has a severe weather plan to include the evacuation of the stadium if needed. “Thankfully, we’ve never had to execute it,” he says, “but it’s there.” 

Photos: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

Left: Personnel in the graduation Tactical Operations Center monitor activity around West Point as guests prepare to exit Michie Stadium after the event.

Top: West Point’s Emergency Operations Center coordinates activities for all post-wide events such as football games and graduation. Right: DPW workers set up on-field benches for the graduating cadets to sit on during the ceremony.

Cleveland and Dolores Pratt

-David J. Little, USMA 2002

highly recommend AMP

anyone looking to advance their technical and analytical skill sets and build their professional network I’m excited about the opportunities to come.“

How West Point Turns Candidates into New Cadets

By Kim McDermott ʼ87, WPAOG staff

On June 27, 2016, West Point received about 1300 candidates and, in a matter of hours, turned them into New Cadets ready to embark on a six-week journey preparing them to join the United States Corps of Cadets.

In the case of Reception Day (R-Day), reception means welcome, not party. And a very well-planned welcome at that— requiring a considerable logistical effort. In fact, USMA spends about six months planning and preparing for what is just the first day of Cadet Basic Training (CBT). Beginning in January, the staff pulls out the after action review from the previous year and starts reviewing what parts of the process need fine tuning.

Much like the proverbial “it takes a village,” almost every agency on West Point has a hand in the success of R-Day. A large cross-section of the USMA workforce staffs the various R-Day

operations in ways extending beyond their normal duties. For example, this year the West Point Band provided the senior noncommissioned officer in charge of the Thayer Hall Tactical Operations Center (TOC). Also, 44 U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers supported R-Day this year.

Nothing major changes year to year; small tweaks just make it better. For example, this year the duration of the bus ride from Eisenhower (Ike) Hall to Thayer Hall was cut in half by simply changing the drop-off point—to across the street. Another efficiency was condensing the reporting time window by two hours. While this created a longer line at the beginning of the day, all of the inprocessing operations were completed earlier, which allowed more time in the day for the cadet cadre to work with the New Cadets.

Photo: Derek Torres/WPAOG

There were two major rehearsals for R-Day, which typically falls on a Monday. The Commandant and Brigade Tactical Officer did a walk-through on the prior Thursday. That Friday was a full dress rehearsal with about 300 community volunteers playing the role of the candidates moving in sequence through the three main sub-operations to the entire day: Ike Hall, Thayer Hall and Central Area.

While planning takes about six months, setup at Ike Hall cannot begin until the day before R-Day, as the local high school graduation occurs on Thursday evening, often followed by events scheduled on Friday and Saturday. In addition to the inprocessing operations, there is also a Parents Welcome Center, where families are introduced to many West Point agencies, WPAOG, parent clubs and local businesses.

On June 27, 2016, about 1300 candidates reported to Ike Hall between 6:00am and 9:00am. They entered the theater in groups of 44 (the number that will fill a bus). Their families and friends were able to join them as they received their welcome brief. An officer began the presentation, explaining to the candidates that they were about to take the “first step to developing as a leader of character, becoming an Army officer, and a member of the Long Gray Line.”

The officer then turned the group over to a cadet who explained a few administrative items and ended by telling the candidates, “You will be going alone and will be taking your luggage with you.” Everyone then had 60 seconds to say goodbye. Then, candidates moved to the backstage area outside. There they moved through an amnesty point (a last chance to drop any prohibited items) before boarding a bus bound for Thayer Hall.

At Thayer Hall candidates visited 14 stations (see sidebar). After checking in with Admissions, candidates received a Smart Card to be scanned at each station. The USCC S3, Lieutenant Colonel Jason Lewallen ’94, says, “The Academy’s Software Engineering Branch was key. It created algorithms for tracking the locations of the candidates and provided the TOC with a color-coded

dashboard to monitor for backups at any particular spot. This allowed us to react quickly to resolve any issues.”

No one was allowed to proceed to the tenth station unless they had fully cleared all previous stations because this was the point where candidates officially became New Cadets. At this station, cadet candidates were administered an Oath of Office from the Staff Judge Advocate. They were required to stand, raise their right hand and repeat the oath before signing a Department of the Army Form 71 (Oath of Office), which became a part of their official military records.

1. Baggage Check/iPad Collection

2. Admissions

3. Smart Card issue

4. Treasurer

5. Dental Screening

6. Issue Point 1

7. Height/Weight/Bodyfat Screening

8. Tattoo/Body Piercing Check

9. Medical Screening

10. Oath

11. Pull-ups

12. Immunizations/Optometry

13. AMS Verification

14. Company Holding Area

Before leaving the final station, New Cadets learned their four responses, which constituted much of their language for the rest of the day: Yes, Sir/Ma’am/Sergeant; No, Sir/Ma’am/Sergeant; No Excuse, Sir/Ma’am/Sergeant; and Sir/Ma’am/Sergeant, I do not understand.

From Thayer Hall, the New Cadets were led to the Central Area near the barracks, which had many activities going on in parallel, including visits to the Cadet in the Red Sash. New Cadets received more equipment at another issue point. Most needed a trip to the Barber Shop. At two drill stations, they learned basic marching skills. All received room and barracks orientations, and

Photos: Derek Torres/WPAOG

Previous page: Immediately after leaving their families, candidates line up to pass through the amnesty area and begin inprocesssing. Below left: In Thayer Hall, candidates receive a duffle bag to fill with many “issue items” (e.g., socks, undershirts, etc.). Below right: Candidates officially become New Cadets when they recite and sign the Oath of Office during inprocessing.

officially joined their companies by reporting to their First Sergeant. They also got plenty of water and had a quick lunch in the Mess Hall. The moments in between activities were spent studying the New Cadet Handbook, so each second of the day was occupied with learning to become a cadet.

Once New Cadets successfully completed all stations in the Central Area, they spent the remainder of the day under the

watchful eyes of the cadet leadership. They began setting up their rooms and preparing for the day’s main event—the Oath of Allegiance Ceremony, the signature moment of their first parade. At the end of the ceremony, they marched directly into the Mess Hall for their first dinner at West Point. The doors were pulled shut dramatically as the last New Cadet passed through them as if to signify that the old is closed out, and the new lies beyond. 

Left: While waiting for their next instructions, New Cadets in Central Area study the New Cadet Handbook. Right: A New Cadet reports to his company First Sergeant “for the first time as ordered.”

New Cadets march behind the Cadre on the Plain after the Oath Ceremony.

WINNING THE CYBER WAR

By Keith J. Hamel, WPAOG staff

Twenty years ago, the idea of attacking a corporation or a federal entity with just a computer seemed to be imaginative science fiction. Today, however, daily headlines and news stories today tell us that the cyber threat is real. In 2015, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management suffered a hack that exposed sensitive information pertaining to approximately 14 million current and former federal employees. Also in 2015, hackers accessed the records of as many as 80 million people insured by Anthem, Inc. According to TIME magazine, the world will spend more than $100 billion annually on information security by the end of this decade.

Photos: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

These facts underscore the importance of the National Security Agency’s (NSA) Cyber Defense Exercise (CDX), an annual competition for students at the five federal service academies that challenges them to build secure computer networks that provide common enterprise services such as email, web, and domain management, and defend these networks against adversarial attacks. While the competition itself takes place over the course of four days, some members of the United States Military Academy’s CDX team have been training four years for the event. The preparation has paid off. USMA’s CDX team has won the competition 8 out of 16 times since it began in 2001, including the 2016 CDX.

The campaign for the CDX trophy begins soon after the previous exercise ends. After receiving after-action review (AAR) reports from graduating CDX team members in early May, the CDX team’s Officer in Charge (OIC) and coaches use the summer months to outline the upcoming academic year’s battle plan for CDX. Also during the summer, potential future CDX team members receive training through numerous Advanced Individual Academic Development opportunities (mostly funded through donations by graduates and friends to the West Point Association of Graduates and research grants from the Cyber Research Center). For example, Hannah Whisnant and Jayleene Perez, both from the Class of 2018, spent three weeks learning about cybersecurity at Vidder, a cybersecurity software company in California’s Silicon Valley. Other cadets train at the SANS Institute, which has educated nearly 200,000 security professionals around the world since its launch in 1989, complete internships at notable research centers focused on advanced technology and national security, such as MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory, or attend leading information security conferences (e.g., BlackHat). “By the time they become members of the CDX team, many of our cadets have received between $50,000 to $60,000 worth of cyber training,” notes Major Karl Olson ’04, a coach for the 2016 CDX team. Many also receive cyber security experience participating on the Cadet Competitive Cyber Team (C3T) or with the Special Interest Group for Security Audit and Control (SIGSAC), colloquially known as “the Hacking Club.”

To be eligible for the CDX team, a cadet must be enrolled in CS482: Cyber Security Engineering, which is a part of the computer science major’s curriculum as well as the culminating course for the cyber engineering core sequence. At the start of the academic year, CS482’s course instructor distributes a preference survey to the 50 to 60 students in the course asking who wants to be on the CDX team and the role they would like to have. An interview process follows during which candidates are asked about their cyber experience and interests. In October, the OIC names six cadet team leaders to correspond to the six task areas on the CDX team: monitoring, networking, systems, services, forensics, and malware reverse engineering. Team captains spend the rest of the fall semester laying the groundwork for their team, whose members are named before the cadets are dismissed for winter break. In the spring semester, the 25 or so cadets of the

8:00am

10:00pm (8:00am

4:00pm

CDX team enroll in CS489: Advanced Individual Study in Computer Science.

If CS482 is the lecture, CS489 is the lab. The cadets of CS489 spend 30 lessons of course time building, refining, and testing their network for CDX. They even spend several evening hours outside of the normal class period as the competition draws near. “We used to only have about two weeks to set up our network,” Olson says. “It was 24 hours a day for two weeks, and it caused a lot of burnout.” The CDX re-format also now allows cadets to conduct individual research projects related to cybersecurity. In 2016, six cadets were able to use the CDX network as a proving ground for their honors theses. “Not only were these cadets competing in the actual CDX, they were doing something that assisted the CDX team in what we referred to as ‘special weapons,’” says Olson. One of these projects, called “Seek & Destroy,” used an automated forensic-analysis platform to “disinfect” workstations and reduce the red cell’s ability to compromise the USMA CDX network. Another project, “Aegis,” tried to minimize the attack surface presented to the red cell in the team’s UNIX network services.

Come mid-April, CDX goes live. The teams for CDX vary from year to year, but the competition typically involves USMA, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and

Photo: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

For four days in April, from

to

to

on the last day) members of the CDX Team are holed up in Thayer Hall’s Cyber Defense Exercise Laboratory, warding off attacks to their network from the NSA’s Red Team.

the Royal Military College of Canada. Among other things, CDX is a way for USMA to take a baseline measure of its cyber program against those of these other institutions. For four days, 14 hours a day, each team is challenged to manage and secure a sophisticated operational network of computers against a team of security experts from the NSA, which attempts to attack the teams on three fronts of information assurance: confidentiality (can only authorized users access information?), integrity (can unauthorized agents tamper with network files?), and availability (do the systems—email, file sharing, directory, and others—work?). In addition to this standard challenge, each team is required to perform three other graded events. For example, a team may be given a compromised hard drive and need to determine critical factors (time, origin, target, purpose) relating to the malicious activity found on the drive. A team may also be given an opportunity to go on the offensive and attack various targets to achieve defined objectives.

Despite the stress associated with the competition, CDX is a great learning opportunity for cadets. “Much of CDX is chasing dead ends while setting up the network,” says Olson, “so there is a lot of self-learning happening to figure out how

to make things work and how to implement systems that no one at the Academy, including instructors, has ever worked with before.” According to Olson, cadets are also learning advanced thinking skills and starting to become proactive instead of reactive, asking themselves “what’s next?” or “what else?” when working on a project. Cadets also admit learning practical lessons that will help them become better Army leaders. Sean Thorpe ’16, who was the service team captain for the 2016 CDX team, said that CDX convinced him that communication is key to a successful mission. Michael Chiu ’16 said that participating in the CDX gave him insight into what it is like to be in a typical Army “TOC,” or tactical operations center. And several cadets wrote comments on their AAR that the CDX gave them an opportunity work on a large, complicated project and experience sorting through the numerous steps to solving a problem.

“CDX shows cadets the links between what they are learning at the Academy and implementing those lessons in a real-world environment,” Olson says. With the number of headlines concerning cyber threats growing each day, readying cadets for the virtual battlefield through competitions such as CDX is vital in winning the cyber war. 

Photo: Submitted

Members of West Point’s CDX Team, winners of the NSA’s Information Assurance Director’s Trophy for the 8th time in the CDX’s 16 years of competition, pose on the steps of Washington Hall with Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson (right).

“CDX shows cadets the links between what they are learning at the Academy and implementing those lesson in a real-world environment”

— MAJ Karl Olson ’04

USMA 2020 Joins the Corps

R-Day, Marchback and A-Day

Reception Day for the Class of 2020 was June 27, 2016. Throughout the day, candidates became New Cadets (see story on page 36 for details) and at the end of the day repeated their Oath of Allegiance in their first parade, in front of proud families and friends. Thus began an intense six weeks of Cadet Basic Training. On the last night of the training, the class unveiled its motto: With Vision We Lead.

On August 8, 2016 the New Cadets completed a 12-mile march back to West Point from Camp Buckner, the final event of Cadet Basic Training. This year’s Grad Marchback had the highest participation yet, as 316 graduates spanning 68 years of USMA classes (1948 to 2015) participated. Of the 316, 118 were members of the WPAOG 50-Year Affiliation Class of 1970 and 101 were family members of New Cadets. The last two miles of the march were on post, and the New Cadets were cheered on by community members and families lining the roads.

Finally, on August 13, 2016 the Class of 2020 was officially accepted into the United States Corps of Cadets at the Acceptance Day parade in front of thousands of proud family members and friends. This event was the culmination of a strenuous Cadet Basic Training and Reorganization Week.

Photos: John Pellino/DPTMS

Marchback

Marchback

Photos: SSG Vito

R-Day

R-Day

Army West Point Women’s Lacrosse: Building a Winning Program on the Warrior Ethos

Meeting Kristen Waagbo, you know that Army West Point made the right choice to lead its newest NCAA program, women’s lacrosse. All at once you recognize why she has a reputation as being energetic, passionate, hard-working, and smart. Waagbo is a former Duke Blue Devil and an accomplished player and coach. She has several years of coaching credit to her name, including four years at Navy. (Two of those years were as a volunteer assistant coach helping the program transition from club to NCAA status.)

Women’s lacrosse has been a club sport at West Point since 1979. In February 2014, West Point announced that it was adding women’s lacrosse as an NCAA program in the 2015-16 season. (The most recent prior Division I women’s intercollegiate sport addition was soccer in 1986.) Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan

By Kim McDermott ʼ87, WPAOG staff

said, “We believe the sport speaks directly to the warrior ethos that is one of the bedrocks upon which West Point is built.” In June 2014, Corrigan announced Waagbo as the first Noto Family Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach.

Two specific things excite Waagbo about the Army West Point women’s lacrosse program. One is just the growth of the game in general. The rules are changing to speed up the game and make it more spectator-friendly. Also, sports networks are now covering the game more—bringing it into the homes (and hearts) of more young women. The rate of growth is exceeding that of the men’s game right now. And this summer marked the launch of the United Women’s Lacrosse league, a semi-professional, post-collegiate league.

Photo: Patrick Tewey

But more important, she says, is that it’s “just an exciting time for women at West Point.” Enrollment has increased, the combat exclusion policy has been lifted, and the leadership opportunities for women graduates now seem limitless. Waagbo understands the mission of West Point, and how her program directly supports that mission. You see it in her expression and hear it in her voice, so you know it’s genuine when she says, “it’s fun to be a part of that bigger mission.”

It may be fun, but it is also hard work. Especially for the team. Says Waagbo, “As cadet-athletes, their lives are very stressful and they are expected to perform so highly in all aspects—athletically, militarily and academically. When they come up the hill for practice, it can be tough to leave the stresses of their day behind them and transition into the mindset of doing absolutely whatever it takes to improve themselves as athletes and work tirelessly towards accomplishing our team goals. Lacrosse should be enjoyable but it shouldn't be the easiest part of their day. Feeling comfortable emptying their tank

completely at practice, conditioning, lifting, or whatever we are doing is a discomfort level that allows us to grow and get better. Feeling comfortable and calm being uncomfortable is a continued focus with our team as we build this program.”

Waagbo is determined not to focus on the difficulties of building a new team and says the program will never make excuses for being new, inexperienced or young. Instead they will have a laser-like focus on what they can control: ACE—attitude, commitment, and effort. She says, “All require zero talent and are the three most important qualities of a selfless teammate and competitor.” Of course, they want skilled athletes, so as the coaching staff builds the culture of the program, they work to ensure that the players are also students of the game. Skill and “game IQ” errors will happen— but players must be able and willing to learn from them to develop their craft.

Waagbo’s first recruiting class consisted of 22 plebes. (18 are expected to return.) Another 11 players stayed on from the club

Photo: Patrick Tewey

“We believe the sport speaks directly to the warrior ethos that is one of the bedrocks upon which West Point is built.”

— Boo Corrigan, USMA Director of Athletics

Previous page: Attacker Kristen McCarty ’18 in the LIU Brooklyn game. Below: The Army West Point Women’s Lacrosse team gathers for a pre-game team huddle during a 2016 home game.

program, providing a foundation of leadership for the team. She says, “The club players exceeded our expectations in the ways in which they were able to compete at the Division I level physically and skill-wise. So many of them made significant contributions on the field, but more importantly, their leadership and guidance to our 22 freshmen off the field was invaluable.”

What three words would Waagbo want people to use when talking about the team? She is quick to say, “fearless, tough, proud.” Sounds like a tall order for such a fresh program, but perhaps not. Despite a 5-12 record in its first season, the team far surpassed the expectations of others—but not its own. Waagbo says, “This left them hungrier to succeed, especially in conference.”

Many off-the-field victories contribute to the bright outlook for this team. For example, Army West Point was fifth in the nation for attendance at home games, signaling a fan base also committed to success. Even opponents were impressed with the team’s performance. The team also garnered several Patriot League accolades: two players were Rookie of the Week and 15 made the Academic Honor Roll.

“Even after just one season, adding women’s lacrosse as a Division I varsity sport has been truly rewarding,” said Army West Point Athletics Senior Women’s Administrator Stephanie Menio. “Coach Waagbo has taken it in stride to define the legacy of the program since arriving at West Point. She and the women’s lacrosse staff have built the program from the ground up, all while influencing leaders of character that will someday become officers.” Corrigan agrees, saying, “It has been a pleasure watching the launch of the program and its growth. Kristen Waagbo's commitment to the game, our program and the development of these young women position her and the team for great success while at Army.” 

Photos: Patrick Tewey

Top left: Attacker Izzy McMahon ’19 is a two-sport athlete at Army West Point, playing both basketball and lacrosse. Top right: Players celebrate after midfielder Brit Rinaldi ’19 scored her second career goal against Navy. Bottom left: Team Captain and attacker Erin Jollota ’17.

“Our effort throughout the entire game was fabulous. We played fearlessly. Navy’s in its ninth season and we’re in our first season, and I don’t think anybody watching that game would be able to tell that. It’s tough to get past the result of the game, but this is a journey and it was a great step for us.”

Army West Point Women’s Lacrosse head coach Kristen

Waagbo describes her favorite moment since coming to West Point was the “warrior ethos” speech. She had heard the term used often, starting with the statement from Corrigan when he announced the program. An October 2015 article about the team in Lacrosse Magazine was titled “The Warrior Ethos.” The article highlighted that her players would have opportunities to serve in combat and special operations forces upon graduation, and quoted her as saying the program was a “great way to produce tough, physical and mentally fit female officers for the Army.”

The team was in the locker room preparing to take the field in the first home game against Navy. As the time approached, the (usually articulate) Waagbo was having a difficult time deciding just what to tell her players. With literally five minutes left, the article came to mind and in that split second it all came together. Waagbo began applying the four sections of the U.S. Army’s “Warrior Ethos” to the tactical goals of the game at hand. The resulting speech was better than anything she could have rehearsed.

I WILL ALWAYS PLACE THE MISSION FIRST. Set the tone in the first five minutes: first draw, first defensive stand, first offensive possession, first transition.

I WILL NEVER ACCEPT DEFEAT. Welcome the aggressive style of play and battle to control what we can control.

I WILL NEVER QUIT. This is Navy’s first time playing in Michie stadium, what impression do we want to leave them with? A team that never relents.

I WILL NEVER LEAVE A FALLEN COMRADE. A UNITED Army team vs. individual tendencies of Navy.

Navy won that game, 11-5. But Coach Waagbo was not unhappy. “Our effort throughout the entire game was fabulous. We played fearlessly. Navy’s in its ninth season and we’re in our first season, and I don’t think anybody watching that game would be able to tell that. It’s tough to get past the result of the game, but this is a journey and it was a great step for us.”

Photo: Patrick Tewey

— Kristen Waagbo, Noto Family Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach

Noto Family Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach Kristen Waagbo. The coaching position is named for the Noto Family through an endowment established by Anthony Noto ’91 and his wife Kristin.

RD=FC*

Read how one cadet learned to find the fulfilling “sweet spot” in her leadership style during Cadet Basic Training. She found she could not be too easy, nor too hard, on her squad. By sharing her disappointment openly and honestly, she navigated the challenge of finding a constructive way to build pride and mutual respect and the team she knew they could be.

Finding Mutual Respect

By CDT Marae Kalian ’18, Guest Writer

Throughout my life I’ve been told, “You are going to be a great leader one day”; however, I had never felt like one until I was a squad leader during the first detail of Beast this past summer. Yes, in high school I held leadership positions in clubs and teams, but my leadership ability was never tested.

It was around 6am when the first new cadet walked into my room on June 27, 2016. I was a scanner in Thayer Hall, where new cadets were given an introduction to their company. I had no problem playing the scary upperclassman. In fact, I enjoyed watching a civilian start their transition into a cadet and a soldier.

After my job was done in Thayer, I met my squad. Ten terrified individuals who had no idea what was to come. They all stared at me with the same look in their eyes. It said, “I’m scared and I will listen to anything you say because I am scared of you.” But I didn’t want them to be scared of me: I wanted them to trust and respect me. I remembered all the things I would never do that I had put in my “tool box” and got right to work.

For the most part, my job was easy, but one day all discipline had completely disappeared. This was my first moment where I could really be a leader. I decided to lock them up harder than I ever had before. I made them hold their knowledge book higher and extend their arm further. There was no asking Sergeant Kalian questions at meals or getting a rest from standing for so long. There were more push-ups, more yelling, and, in my heart, more disappointment than ever before. There was no motivation in my squad that day, which showed me that I had messed up as a leader. I trusted them too much, and they took advantage of that, but I was going to fix that.

After I saw a few tears drop and a ton of disappointed looks on their faces, I knew it was time for me to say something: “I am so disappointed in you all today. All you have shown me is that you do not respect me. I will not accept this kind of behavior because I believe in you all and know you are better than this.” After that I knew I had gotten through to them. Some cried. Some had blank faces. But I knew they were ready to shape up. I went to bed that night after hearing 10 personal apologies paired with, “What can

I do better, Sergeant?” That was my proudest moment as a leader because I saw that I genuinely had earned their trust and respect. These ten young adults changed my life. At times, they frustrated me. They tested me. They disappointed me. But more importantly, they made me proud to be their leader and the person they looked up to. They made me work hard and motivated me. They taught me things I never knew about myself. I will always hold “Rowdy” squad close to my heart (named after Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey). They greeted me with, “I’m not a donothing soldier, sergeant” and I replied with, “Be the best new cadet,” and they were the best because they were far from donothing soldiers! At formation they sounded off loud and proud after I’d say, “I’m not like a boss,” with “she is the boss,” and then we’d laugh about it later, and they’d say, “Sergeant Kalian you really are the boss.” They all told me that on R-Day they were thinking, “I really hope she isn’t my squad leader,” because, apparently, I was scary. Looking back I remember thinking some of them would be a huge challenge. Yet, somehow we figured it all out and worked together and came out better people than we were before.

I say “we” because we were a team. I worked for them, and they worked for me. It was mutual. They respected me just as much as I respected them. I may have been the coach of the team, and they were the players, but we both wanted our team to win. They trusted me, a complete stranger, to guide them in everything they did, which only motivated me to do the best job I could do because each and every one of them deserved nothing but the best.

Even after all the hard days they still told me they’d miss me and appreciated how much I cared about them. What they didn’t know was that I was going to miss them just as much. They will never know how grateful I was and still am to have had the chance to be their squad leader. To me, they will always be my new cadets, but, when I see them doing great things in their cadet and Army career, I will smile because I had the chance to be a part of their journey. 

*According to Bugle Notes: “RD=FC ‘Rough Draft Equals Final Copy.’ The art of completing a paper or project in one sitting.”

Photo: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

USMA 2018 | With Strength We Lead

On August 14, the Class of 2018 took the Oath of Affirmation at a ceremony in Robinson Auditorium, officially committing themselves to the profession of arms. Graduates from the WPAOG 50-Year Affiliation Class of 1968 presented the cadets with a joint Class Coin to commemorate this milestone. During the ceremony, former USMA Dean BG (R) Dan Kaufman ’68 addressed the class on the topic of leadership in an ever-changing world. USMA Cadets at the other service academies will soon have their own Affirmation events, in conjunction with local West Point Societies.

USMA 2017 | So Others May Dream

On August 26, 2016, the Class of 2017 received their class rings during the annual Ring Ceremony at Trophy Point. The rings donned by the new firsties are symbols of pride and commitment as they enter their final year at West Point, and each gold ring contains a physical connection to previous West Point graduates.

Through the WPAOG Ring Memorial Program, each year since 2001, the gold from rings that have been worn and donated by past U.S. Military Academy graduates has been melted and mixed into the gold to make the rings for the Academy’s next graduating class. This tradition physically and symbolically links The Long Gray Line with its newest members.

MAILBOX

Submit comments or questions to Editor@wpaog.org, or chat with us on one of our WPAOG social media channels!

FROM: COL (R) Morton C. Mumma III ’48

I disagree with your rationale to name GEN Patton, Class of 1909, the most famous shooting Olympian from West Point (2016 summer issue, page 49). In an article about shooting, I believe the emphasis should be on shooting accomplishment rather than on other aspects of one’s individual career. Patton placed fifth in the 1912 Olympic Pentathlon. MG Charles F. Leonard Jr. ’35 fired a perfect score in the pistol phase of the competition, the first such score achieved and only equaled in 1980.

RESPONSE:

Youareright.MGLeonard,whoearnedasilvermedalinModern Pentathlonatthe1935Games,bestsGENPattonasa“shooting” Olympian,ifnotplainlythemostfamousOlympianfromWestPoint. Pattonplaced21stinpistol,whileLeonard,asyoumentioned,fired aperfectscore.Thereis,however,somecontroversy.Patton,who useda.38-caliberpistolinsteadofthetraditionalcompetitors’.22,

Annual WPAOG Election

maintainedthathehadshotthroughsomeofhisearlyholesonthe targetandwouldhaveearnedamedalhadthejudgesnotruledthat he had missed.

FROM: Mrs. Peter C. Hains

For many years I have heard about the Dick Cox story! Imagine seeing it addressed in the most recent edition of West Point magazine (2016 summer issue, pages 15-18). The article discusses Dick’s caller’s message to Cadet Peter “Haines.” Please, even after all these years must our name be misspelled? The name is Peter HAINS. (My husband is Peter C. Hains IV—West Point having produced two generals bearing this name, one a graduate of 1862 and the other a graduate of the 1920s.) Thank you for an otherwise thoroughly written article, and yes it still remains a mystery, doesn’t it?

RESPONSE: Noexcusema’am.Pleaseacceptourapologiesforthiserror.

All USMA graduates are encouraged to vote in the 2016 annual election. Not later than October 21, 2016, proxies will be emailed or mailed to each graduate. Graduates with an email address on file at WPAOG will receive an email that contains a link to a personalized, confidential online voting site maintained by Amplitude Research, Inc. Other graduates will receive paper proxies via the U.S. Postal Service. Voting closes at 5:00pm on November 21, 2016, the evening before the WPAOG Annual Meeting and Election, which will take place at 5:00pm on November 22, 2016 in the Herbert

A. Custer 1861Henry O. Flipper 1877George Washington Goethals 1880 John J. Pershing 1886Antonio Barrios 1889Douglas MacArthur 1903 Adna R. Chaffee, Jr. 1906 Henry H. “Hap” Arnold 1907George S. Patton, Jr. 1909Omar N. Bradley 1915 Dwight D. Eisenhower 1915Luis R. Esteves 1915Mark W. Clark 1917Matthew B. Ridgway 1917 Maxwell D. Taylor 1922

Gripping Hands

2001

Chaney Receives Nininger Award

Major Matthew A. Chaney is the 2016 recipient of the Alexander Nininger Award for Valor at Arms. He received the award on September 22, 2016 at West Point. Chaney received the Silver Star award for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy on September 10, 2007, while serving as the Detachment Commander, Operational Detachment Alpha 083, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), at Samarra, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

2006 2007 2008

West Point Grads Join Olmsted Scholar Class of 2017

Captain Jeffrey C. Agnew ’06, Captain Brandon B. Gilles ’07, and Captain Brandon T. Frei ’08 were welcomed into the Olmsted Scholar Class of 2017. The program was established in 1960 by MG George Olmsted ’22 with the Department of Defense to foster relationships between nations. The Olmsted Foundation selects 15-20 active duty military scholars each year for two years of study at a foreign university in a non-English speaking country. More than 130 West Point graduates have been named Olmsted Scholars since the program began.

1969

Krzyzewski leads U.S. Menʼs Olympic Team to Gold

Under Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski’s leadership, the U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball team defeated Serbia 96-66, winning its third consecutive Olympic Gold Medal. The games in Rio marked Coach K’s final season at the helm of Team USA.

1999 2003

Gatlin and Bukowski named as 2016-17 White House Fellows

Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Gatlin ʼ99 and Major Raven Bukowski ʼ03 (both former USMA faculty) were among 16 individuals named as the 2016-17 White House Fellows. Gatlin will be serving with the Office of the First Lady and Bukowski will serve with the National Security Council.

Photos: Submitted; Garrett Ellwood/USA Basketball

“Grip hands—though it be from the shadows—while we swear as you did of yore, or living or dying, to honor the Corps, and the Corps, and the Corps.” —Bishop Shipman 1902

Mule Basic Training: Welcoming Paladin as Army’s Newest Mascot

On April 1, West Point’s Facebook page posted an image of the Pointer View (community newspaper) headline for that week announcing that West Point had officially retired the Army mule as its mascot during a ceremony the previous day. The article reported that the new mascot was a “wagon-like, highly mobile, semiautonomous vehicle used as a small-unit equipment transport,” nicknamed Smitty. “We’re looking ahead and are confident our cadets and our fans will rally behind Smitty,” said the Public Affairs Officer. “It's like a mule, but better. It's a robot,” he said. “It’s so cool, I can’t see how anyone could criticize this change.” Alongside was an image of the senior mule mascot, Ranger III, adorned with a long red sash and looking very gray in the muzzle. Of course, most saw right through the April Fool’s prank.

In truth, on the day before, Army West Point’s newest mule mascot arrived for his very own Reception Day (R-Day). In a brief ceremony in front of the Administration building, Paladin was signed in with his duffle bags and reported to Ranger III (the Mule in the Red Sash). There was a requisite visit to the Cadet Barber Shop—to get a big “A” shaved into his hind quarters—followed by a trailer ride to his barracks at Morgan Farm to begin his own summer training. In a twist on R-Day tradition, there was extra fanfare attached to Paladin’s R-Day. For example, how many new cadets have Rabble Rousers there to cheer for them and have photo opportunities with VIPs like the Secretary of Veterans Affairs?

Eleven-year-old Paladin, whose name, appropriately, means “knightly champion,” was donated by Mr. Steve Townes ’75. Townes, a former mule rider, has donated five mules since 2002 as his “own small way of giving back, and maintaining the USMA mascot forever. Traditions are important. Mules…are part of West Point’s unique and powerful brand.”

By Kim McDermott ʼ87, WPAOG staff

According to Cadet in Charge of the Mule Riders, Ryan O’Deens ’18, Paladin’s summer was “full of intense training, trying to get him ready for the huge number of people, old and young, that will want to come and say hi, feed him treats, and pet him.” Mule Rider Cadet Conor Dolan ’17 added, “Paladin came in a little timid and pretty anxious. However with training, and time under his role models of Stryker and Ranger (III), he is shaping into a great member of the team with real character.”

At the first home football game, after five months, Paladin’s summer training was officially complete. Once again, he had his own milestone ceremony—this time for his Acceptance Day (A-Day). On Saturday, September 10, Paladin was “officially” accepted by his brethren in mule shoes between the first and second quarters of the football game in Michie Stadium. Dolan said, “Hopefully we can get him to the point where he will be ready to charge the field and lead the team out onto the field. We were excited to introduce Paladin as the next Army Mule and hopefully he will become one of the greats.” 

Photos:

CDT Ryan O’Deens ’18 (with Paladin) is the Cadet in Charge of the Mule Riders.

Paladin (right) reports to Ranger III, the Mule in the Red Sash.

WPAOG News

ASSOCIATION

Cadet Life Construction Begins on New Frederic V. Malek West Point Visitors Center

Grad Donations Transform West Point Campus,

Each year more than 1 million people visit the Academy, and the West Point Visitors Center, which has not been substantially updated since 1989, is there to welcome them. The importance of the Visitors Center for prospective cadets and the public to learn about West Point made a new visitors center a priority need for the Academy during WPAOG’s For Us All Campaign, and graduates responded generously.

On September 9, after 15 years of planning, designing, and fundraising, WPAOG broke ground on the new 31,000-square-foot Frederic V. Malek West Point Visitors Center, completely funded through private donations and named after its lead donor, Mr. Frederic V. Malek ’59. Eight West Point

classes—1972, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1984, 1988, 1990, and 2004—also devoted their Class Reunion fundraising campaigns to the project and together contributed 40 percent of the funds raised. The late Margaret A. Zipp, widow of Lieutenant Colonel Charles W. Zipp ’53, Retired, and The Boeing Company were also major contributors. Located next the West Point Museum, the new Malek West Point Visitors Center will be the “front door” to the Academy. Speaking at the groundbreaking, Superintendent Lieutenant General Robert L. Caslen Jr. ’75 said, “The Visitors Center is critical to telling the West Point story and inspiring all who visit here, and today as we

break ground, we pave the way for a new, modern facility with exciting exhibits that will better tell our story and continue to inspire new generations of visitors. This wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our alumni. Thank you for your amazing support for this project.”

Todd A. Browne ’85, President and CEO of WPAOG, noted, “The Malek West Point Visitors Center is the largest gift-funded construction project at West Point since 2003. This project would not have happened without the leadership and generosity of Fred and Marlene Malek and our dedicated alumni. It is a tangible symbol of all that West Point means to our graduates and to the nation.”

Anderson ’61 Gift Will Transform Athletic Facility, Endow Two Head Coaches

WPAOG was honored to receive another extraordinary commitment for Army West Point Athletics from Lee and Penny Anderson that will enhance the cadet-athlete experience in multiple sports and further advance the mission of the Academy.

The Andersons’ contribution will catalyze a transformation of Building 673 (often referred to as Arvin Annex), which will house a new stateof-the-art weight room and locker room facilities for multiple athletic and club programs. In addition to this facility upgrade, the Andersons endowed the Lee Anderson head men’s basketball and Penny Anderson women’s rugby coaching positions.

Malek Soccer Stadium Groundbreaking

On June 13, WPAOG celebrated the groundbreaking for the Malek Soccer Stadium, which brings much-needed improvements to the current stadium. Funded by Frederic V. Malek ’59, the stadium will feature a new press box with a radio broadcasting room and platform for cameras, allowing for better game coverage, as well as improved fan facilities and new premium seating.

Photos: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG; submitted

STARTtheDAYS!

NOVEMBER DECEMBER

5 BEAT AIR FORCE! Army West Point vs. Air Force Football

9-12

68th Student Conference on United States Affairs

17 Branch Night

GO ARMY!

10 BEAT NAVY! Army West Point vs. Navy Football

13-17 Term End Examinations (BEAT THE DEAN!)

16 Class of 2016 December Graduation

Upcoming events suggested by West Point staff & faculty. Events for Feb 2017 Apr 2017 should be sent to editor@wpaog.org by Nov 15, 2016.

3-8 Second Semester (ReorganizationWeek)

9 Second Academic Term Begins

14 500th Night for the Class of 2018

For the entire calendar, go to WestPointAOG.org/calendar

Be Thou at Peace

COL Edward J. Geldermann, USA, Retired 1941

Col Fred E. Holdrege Jr., USAF, Retired 1942

COL William H. Pietsch Jr., USA, Retired 1943 JAN

COL Nicholson Parker, USA, Retired 1943 JUN

LTC Phil R. Phelps Jr., USA, Retired 1943 JUN

Mr. Henry C. Lindsey 1944

Dr. James R. Lynch 1944

Lt Col William E. Wightman, USAF, Retired 1944

COL Thomas G. McCunniff, USA, Retired 1945

COL Warren R. Stumpe, USA, Retired 1945

BG William R. Bigler, USA, Retired 1946

LTC Philip A. Farris, USA, Retired 1946

Col James E. Hildebrandt, USAF, Retired 1946

Mr. James McClure Jr. 1946

Mr. William McCollam Jr. 1946

COL Carroll R. O'Neill, USA, Retired 1946

LTC Edwin R. Van Deusen, USA, Retired 1946

COL James F. Fraser, USA, Retired 1947

Col William W. Gray, USAF, Retired 1947

LTG Rolland V. Heiser, USA, Retired 1947

MG James A. Johnson, USA, Retired 1947

LTC Wells B. Lange, USA, Retired 1947

Maj John A. Edwards, USAF, Retired 1948

Maj Gen Robert W. Clement, USAF, Retired 1950

LTC James C. Drewry Jr., USA, Retired 1950

LTC William M. Hinds, USA, Retired 1950

Col Gerald H. Monson, USAF, Retired 1950

Maj Gen Don H. Payne, USAF, Retired 1950

COL Edward M. Pierce, USA, Retired 1950

COL John J. Saalberg, USA, Retired 1950

Mr. Joseph W. Clarke II 1951

LTC William C. Edler II, USA, Retired 1951

Mr. Charles B. Ewing Jr. 1951

Mr. John J. Leffler 1951

Lt Col Seth W. Scruggs, USAF, Retired 1951

Mr. Bruce R. Beard 1952

Mr. James W. Hogg 1953

LTC Ralph A. Koch Jr., USA, Retired 1953

Col Joe C. Williams, USAF, Retired 1953

Col William H. Clarke, USAF, Retired 1954

Col Robert L. Geasland, USAF, Retired 1954

COL Lloyd J. Matthews, USA, Retired 1954

Mr. Richard B. Moulton 1954

Mr. Lowell E. Sisson 1954

COL Robert B. Henry, USA, Retired 1955

COL Rex V. N. Perkins, USA, Retired 1955

Mr. Raymond L. Shideler 1955

Mr. Lloyd T. Wolfe 1955

Deaths reported from June 22–September 23, 2016.

Mr. Donald A. Hammel 1956

LTC William M. Hooker, USA, Retired 1956

LTC Thomas L. Miller, USA, Retired 1956

Maj Thomas E. Reinhardt, USAF, Retired 1956

Mr. Neal E. Ausman Jr. 1957

LTC William W. Campion, USA, Retired 1957

LTC Michael J. Ilsemann, USA, Retired 1957

COL Robert M. Reynolds, USA, Retired 1957

COL Glen L. Rhoades, USA, Retired 1957

Lt Gen Craven C. Rogers Jr., USAF, Retired 1957

Mr. Robert L. Veal Jr. 1957

Mr. Hugh W. Morgan 1958

Mr. Joseph A. Paes 1958

MAJ Walter M. Plaue, USA, Retired 1958

COL Joseph A. Shea, USA, Retired 1958

Col George W. Williams, USAF, Retired 1959

LTC Frank N. Cremer, USA, Retired 1960

Mr. Richard J. Holleman 1960

LTC Francis G. Sisk, USA, Retired 1961

COL Robert J. Lilley Jr., USA, Retired 1962

Mr. Bruce B. Parsons 1962

COL Walter R. Shope, USA, Retired 1962

Mr. Peter Siedzick 1962

Mr. Christopher W. J. Stanat

Mr.

April 17, 1996 – September 11, 2016

July 4, 1997 – June 30, 2016

Cadet Thomas M. Surdyke Class of 2019 B Company, Fourth Regiment

Cadet Brandon T. Jackson Class of 2019 E Company, Second Regiment

Calling All West Point Authors!

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BG(R) James L. Anderson ʼ56 and Dave Anderson ʼ88

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Past in Review

The USMA Diploma

By Leslie Rose,

The USMA diploma, beautifully and intricately illustrated, has been part of Graduation since 1824, with few changes. On that summer’s day, 31 cadets received an 18”x 24” document, designed by artist William Proctor of New York City. Graduating cadets had earned this diploma due to the leadership of Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, Class of 1808.

As USMA Superintendent, Thayer completely restructured the Academy. He required each cadet to pass an entrance exam that classified cadets according to their scholastic standing. Secretary of War John W. Calhoun liked Thayer’s reforms and, after Thayer’s first year as Superintendent, approved a set of regulations requiring a diploma as evidence of completion of the full course at the Military Academy.

Thayer, in a letter dated April 1823 to Major General Alexander Macomb, Chief of Engineers and the Inspector of the Academy, wrote, “I have the pleasure to inform you that Mr. Gimbrede is actually engaged in engraving the diploma and it will be ready for the next graduating class.” Thomas Gimbrede was the USMA Professor of Drawing (18191832) and had a reputation as a renowned miniaturist and engraver. Thayer sent an update to Macomb on November 12, 1823, telling him that the engraving was almost finished and that the cost of the engraving would be $700. Thayer asked if the diplomas would be given for free to the cadets, or if they would have to pay for them at a cost of $1 per cadet. In a letter dated January 28, 1824, Thayer reported that “the engraving is completed and ready to be signed and issued to those who are entitled to them,” and, in an April 24, 1824 letter, he wrote that Gimbrede wanted his money for the engraving.

The diploma itself is framed with illustrations. On the right side is a collection of what had been modern battle accoutrements in 1824, including a shako, saber, drum, sword, musket, two pistols, and a cartridge pouch with powder horn. On the left side is an assortment of ancient arms, including a sword and breastplate, shield, helmet, standard, and fasces (a bundle of rods bound around an ax with a projecting blade, which was carried before ancient Roman magistrates as a symbol of authority). Nike, Goddess of Victory, is above the arms and carrying a wreath and palm frond. At the bottom is a scene depicting a cadet encampment, complete with cadets firing a cannon in the hilly terrain of West Point, which is represented by an eagle’s nest atop a mountain.

The top and center of the original diploma had an eagle clutching two draped flags in its talons, the “Stars and Stripes” on the right and the U.S. Army flag on the left. In 1899, the eagle was replaced with the West Point crest after Charles Larned, Class of 1870 and Professor of Drawing (1876-1911), designed an official USMA Coat of Arms in 1898. He was assisted in the design by famed architect Stanford White, who also designed Cullum Hall.

The graduating Class of 1923 saw the next revision of the design of the USMA Coat of Arms on their diplomas after Captain George M. Chandler advised Superintendent Major General F.W. Sladen, Class of 1890, that the eagle, the helmet of Pallas Athena, and the Greek sword inaccurately faced to the “sinister” (or left) side, instead of facing to the right, which traditionally denoted higher honor in heraldry.

Surprisingly there haven’t been many changes to the original text. The first change was made in 1909 when new lieutenants were recommended for promotion in the Army of the United States rather than into separate branches of the Army. In 1925, USMA received accreditation, and in 1933 the

Superintendent was empowered by an act of Congress to confer a Bachelor of Science degree to all graduates, going back to the date of accreditation. This provided cadets the opportunity to apply for prestigious Rhodes Scholarships.

By 1947 handwritten signatures were eliminated when the signatures of the Superintendent, Dean, and Commandant of Cadets were affixed. The next year, in 1948, the font was changed from Old English to Script.

Wording changed in 1970 to reflect that new graduates were recommended to the President for appointment as a commissioned officer in the United States Army rather than recommended for promotion in the Army of the United States. The most recent word change to the diploma was for the graduating Class of 1980, when 62 diplomas used the pronoun “she.”

Diplomas have always been printed at West Point, but the 925 members of the Class of 1996 were the first to receive computergenerated diplomas. Until then, the diploma had been created at West Point’s printing plant through offset printing, using lead plates as part of the process.

In recent years, new graduates have received a wallet-sized replica of their diploma as a gift from the WPAOG Office of Alumni Support. 

WPAOG staff, from research conducted by former employees of the Adjutant General, Records Division